Bad bugs: Transflo helps truckers prevent the spread of spotted lanternfly
At first glance it looks like mud on the side of a pallet or in the wheel well of a trailer. But to the trained eye, that putty-colored smudge may be the egg mass of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive moth-like insect that’s threatening the agricultural economies of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and other mid-Atlantic states.
“The spotted lanternfly is a leaf-hopper with a limited ability to fly but it can drop onto a truck or trailer, lay its eggs, and then they can be inadvertently moved to a place where the insect is not currently established,” says Shannon Powers of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. “We need truck drivers and freight handlers at warehouses, markets, orchards, and vineyards to be alert and quickly tell us what they see.”
To help, Transflo has added a free lanternfly reporting and education feature to its Transflo+ mobile app, the leading digital workflow platform for the trucking and logistics.
“Owner-operators and small fleets are at the heart of the region’s agricultural community,” said Doug Schrier, vice president of product and innovation at Transflo. “We want to prevent the spread of the insect, make sightings easy to report, and help all Transflo Mobile+ users comply with the latest Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantine orders.”
A “Spotted Lanternfly” button on the Transflo Mobile+ screen provides access to current quarantine regulations, photos of the insect, and one-touch reporting to agricultural authorities. It also directs users to information about the training and certification process that all businesses must undergo to move goods to, from, or within a spotted lanternfly quarantine zone.
Drivers and fleets with the Transflo Mobile+ app on their device can go straight to: Profile/Settings > Fleets > Add new fleet. Then, enter the following recipient ID: BUGBGONE. If you don’t have the Transflo Mobile+ app, simply download it for free in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly feeds on dozens of crop types but adults are particularly fond of grapevines, apples, hops, stone fruit, hardwoods, and Ailanthus, the “tree of heaven,” itself an invasive species. They suck out plant sap and excrete a sugary residue that promotes mold growth, attracts other insects, and inhibits photosynthesis.
Adult female spotted lanternflies begin to lay their eggs in September, and each egg mass contains 30 to 50 eggs that are well-protected from the cold until they’re ready to hatch in the spring. They’re easy to miss, although adults—with their showy black-and-red wings and tendency to congregate with others—are not.
Powers recommends a few simple tips for drivers, fleets, and freight handlers.
First, familiarize yourself with what a lanternfly looks like in its different stages. If you’re near a quarantine area, check over all equipment and vehicles for egg masses as part of a pre- and post-trip inspection and report anything suspicious to your state’s agriculture department. If you can, include when and where you saw it, as well as any specimens or photos.
If you identify a spotted lanternfly egg mass, get a plastic card or putty knife and scrape it into a bag or container filled with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. You can also smash or burn the egg masses once they’ve been removed but rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer have been the most effective for destroying them.
Finally, take Pennsylvania’s online course. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at www.agriculture.pa.gov.
“I can only imagine how devastating an infestation would be to economies outside of the mid-Atlantic U.S.,” Powers explained. “Any business that handles agricultural goods—even one that’s located halfway across the country—would benefit from training its employees to recognize and report spotted lanternfly. You do not want this in your backyard.”
MORE COVERAGE: States Lean on Truckers to Halt Spread of Invasive Spotted Lanternfly, Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2019
