According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Insect Science, spotted lanternflies interact with other species through their pungent excretions known as honeydew. The northeastern US has been affected by this invasive species affecting crops. Yet little is known about how these insects communicate with one another to breed or find food.
What is Spotted Lanternflies?
According to the USDA, the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), which is endemic to China, was discovered for the first time in Pennsylvania in September 2014.
It lives on various woody, fruit, and decorative trees, with the tree of heaven being one of its favored hosts. They are invasive and can travel great distances on objects that have been infected with them or contain egg masses. The US's grape, orchard, and logging sectors could suffer significantly if this insect growth becomes uncontrollable.
Spotted Lanternflies' Honeydew Secretion
The honeydew of the insects releases numerous compounds into the air that attract other lanternflies. This may be the first instance of such signals in planthopper insects, which are sex-specific.
The research is crucial because understanding a pest's biology and behavior is the first step in managing it, according to Dr. Miriam Cooperband of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine Division in the US.
She stated that as they get more insight into the spotted lanternfly's behavior, they aim to identify a weakness that will allow them to create pest control instruments to reduce the insect's population and spread.
According to Phys.org, the researchers discovered that the insects have an odd habit of congregating in large numbers on only a few particular tree trunks. They can secrete so much honeydew that it turns the tree's surface white and foamy and gives off a fermenting odor. However, they discovered that some tree trunks had been strangely preserved.
Spotted Lantern Experiment to Understand its Scented Honeydew
Cooperband and her team collected honeydew samples from male and female lanternflies separately in the field for laboratory testing. After that, the scientists offered lanternflies a choice of locations with or without the various kinds of honeydew to determine what attracted them.
They were taken aback when male honeydew attracted males with a powerful attraction. Female honeydew, however, only minimally attracted males and females. This behavior is consistent with observations of how these insects act in the wild; however, the exact source of it is yet unknown.
The scientists then examined the various parts of the honeydew to ascertain which ones generated the loudest signals. Five molecules were examined for their ability to attract, and it was discovered that each had a unique profile. Both sexes were drawn to the molecules benzyl acetate and 2-octanone. Only men were drawn to a particular chemical called 2-heptanone. One molecule, 1-nonanol, attracted only females, whereas the other, 2-nonanone, only attracted females.
Pest Control
Cooperband claimed that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the complexity of spotted lanternfly behavior and communication. In addition to researching chemical signals, such as those found in honeydew, they are also curious about how substrate vibrations may play a part in their communication system.
Future studies, according to her, could concentrate on figuring out how they locate one another when they congregate and look for partners using a variety of signals.
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