D3085: (1st Place) Legend or legitimate: Using milkweed to manage spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

Since it was first found in the United States in 2014, spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has widely spread throughout the Northeast and Midwest. This is of great concern to people in the ornamental, timber, and viticultural industries, as spotted lanternfly is extremely polyphagous and feeds on more than 100 different plant species. Alternatives to insecticides for control of spotted lanternfly are of great interest, especially tactics with minimal impacts on environmental and human health. One idea proposed online by the general public is that feeding on milkweed (Asclepias spp.) may be deadly to spotted lanternfly. We tested this hypothesis through no-choice experiments, in which nymphal and adult spotted lanternflies were offered either only common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) or grape (Vitis vinifera) to feed on, followed by mortality checks after 24 hours. We also performed choice experiments to determine if nymphal and adult spotted lanternflies would still feed on milkweed when grape was available, with checks at 1, 2, 4, 6, and 24 hours. We found that spotted lanternfly survival was reduced when forced to feed on milkweed, significantly so for 1st and 2nd instar nymphs and adult spotted lanternflies. Spotted lanternflies also only showed a significant preference between milkweed and grape plants as adults at the 4, 6, and 24 hour checks. This could indicate that, in addition to providing important resources for native species, milkweed plantings may help with spotted lanternfly management.