Suffolk County Properties Survey for Invasive Spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, (Plus Mapping of Stands of Ailanthus); Survey for Longhorned Tick, Hemaphysalis longicornis

Abstract

The Asian longhorned tick and spotted lanternfly are two new invasive pests that are in the Northeast. Spotted lanternfly is in multiple counties in southeastern Pennsylvania and in several places in upstate NY. A discovery of this pest was also made in a nursery shipment from PA in Dix Hills and was thankfully killed, and a dead specimen was shipped with a fertilizer delivery to Islandia. The longhorned tick, a carrier of multiple diseases in other parts of the world, and parthenogenic, is now in eight states including areas close to Long Island, i.e. northern New Jersey, Staten Island and Westchester County. We surveyed approximately five properties a week for the presence of spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (mapping pockets of favored oviposition host, Ailanthus). We also surveyed approximately five locations per week containing favored conditions/hosts for the potential presence of the longhorned tick, Hemaphysalis longicornis. We resurveyed properties we deemed especially likely for longhorned tick. So far we have found no evidence of either longhorned tick or spotted lanternfly on the 237 locations surveyed so far. We will continue to survey this spring. Information on these pests has been disseminated at 17 venues as of the end of this month (January 2019) and we will continue to do so at all appropriate meetings hence (we will provide updates on numbers periodically).