Jan 7, 2019

Spotted Lanternfly Preparedness Conference set

What can we do in Massachusetts to prepare for this insect? Knowledge is power. This conference will provide the latest research and information about the identification, life cycle, impact, monitoring, and Integrated Pest Management options that are known for this insect. Landscapers, arborists, tree wardens, foresters, nursery operators, lawn care professionals, grounds managers, and tree fruit and small fruit growers are encouraged to attend. Join UMass Extension in learning more about the spotted lanternfly.

Pesticide and professional credits

Six pesticide contact hours for categories 25, 27, 29, 35, 36, 48, and Applicators License.

Association credits: ISA, MCA, MCH, MCLP and AOLCP credit requested.

Registration

(Snow Date: Feb. 14, 2019)

8:00 AM     Registration
8:30 AM     Welcoming Remarks
8:45 AM     Spotted Lanternfly Life Cycle, Identification, and Pennsylvania’s Response: Focus on the Fruit Industry
Heather Leach, Spotted Lanternfly Extension Associate, Penn State Extension
The identification, life cycle, and other general topics about spotted lanternfly will be discussed. The control response and extension programs put in place to reduce the spread of SLF will also be discussed. Finally, spotted lanternfly’s impact to the fruit industry, particularly the grape industry, and management techniques for growers will be highlighted.

9:45 AM     Break (Coffee, Tea)

10:00 AM   New Findings on Spotted Lanternfly Host Plants and Survey Tools
Miriam Cooperband, Entomologist, USDA-APHIS-PPQ Science and Technology
Experiments and results on the development of spotted lanternfly survey tools including improved traps and lures, host preferences, and host suitability will be discussed.

10:50 PM   How the Green Industry and Homeowners are Responding: Focus on Mechanical Management Methods 
Emelie Swackhamer, Horticultural Educator, Penn State Extension 
Pennsylvanians are fighting back in ornamental landscapes and production nurseries.  Agencies and volunteers have destroyed millions of SLF by scraping eggs and banding trees and large areas of Ailanthus altissima trees have been removed.  This session will also address how garden centers and tree care services are providing options for their customers.

11:40 – 12:30 PM: Lunch Break (on your own)

12:30 PM   Spotted Lanternfly Management Options: Chemical Management
Phil Lewis, Entomologist, USDA-APHIS-PPQ Science and Technology
This talk will focus on current management practices being used in Pennsylvania for spotted lanternfly control, treatment costs, and approaches by arborists who are suddenly having to battle this insect. Additional information will be provided on treatment longevity, setting up sentinel trap trees and which approaches are working best.

1:20 PM     Break 

1:30 PM     Progress toward the Biological Control of the Spotted Lanternfly
Juli Gould, Entomologist, USDA-APHIS-PPQ Science and Technology
Spotted lanternfly is generally not a pest in its native range of China, and unlike pests such as the EAB, for which host plant resistance is a key control factor, spotted lanternfly feeds on the same plants in the U.S. and China. Scientists are examining other control factors, specifically biological control agents that attack lanternfly eggs and nymphs, to determine if they could be utilized for control in North America.

2:20 PM     Pesticide Use and Safety
Taryn LaScola-Miner, MA Department of Agricultural Resources
This presentation will cover best management practices and methods to protect the applicator and environment while making pesticide applications.  There will also be a little basic Pesticide 101 (how a product is registered) to ensure folks understand the process a pesticide goes through before it can be used.

3:15 PM   Pesticide and Association Credits Distributed and Adjourn for the Day