Fruit Bites for June 21-23 ... Spotted Lanternfly
BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. With us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, we are talking about the invasive insect, spotted lanternfly.AW: The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect pest, that so far, has not been found in Oregon yet. It severely damages plants like grapes, and trees like maple, walnut, willow and birch. But the big plant to watch out for is tree-of-heaven, which is listed as a noxious weed, serves as another host for spotted lanternfly. Isn’t that handy, a pest insect on a pest tree.
BL: (joke about feeling there’s a double duty request happening)
AW: Not only can you help be on the lookout for spotted lanternfly, but you can also help identify a host, the invasive plant called tree-of-heaven through a tracking app from your phone. The ODA has great info online about both pests and how to get involved with the iNaturalist project. You have until October to help locate tree-of-heaven. And always keep an eye out for spotted lanternfly.
BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.