Humans can't manage this invasive fly, but a mind-controlling fungi might.

Pedro_P

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The insect has wreaked havoc for residents and farmers in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

Researchers identifiedBeauveria bassianaas the fungus that ravaged this spotted lanternfly.
Eric Clifton
▼ If Youtube footage is to be believed, people have taken up arms against infestations of invasive spotted lanternflies by blasting the bugs with everything from pressure washersto rock salt, dish soapand even propane  torches.
“There’s a lot of people at their wits' end,” says Heather Leach, a spotted lanternfly specialist with Penn State University.
And for good reason. In a five-year span, the plant-hopping pest has spread from its native Asian range to Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland—causing serious damage to crops, homes, and other property along the way. Now researchers think a pair of native fungi could join the arsenal of controls on the polka-dotted insects, according to a studyout last month inPNAS.
According to the paper, a research group led by Cornell University scientists have identified two North American fungi,Batkoa majorandBeauveria bassiana, that seem to be natural enemies of the spotted lanternfly. TheBatkoafungus makes a particularly spectacular show of killing off the insect pest by acting as a sort of mind-controlling parasite. The researchers believe onceBatkoainfects a spotted lanternfly, the fungus compels its victim to ascend up a tree or vine; then, fungal fibers sew it to its final resting place and spores burst out of the insect’s body to shower down onto any remaining lanternflies below. The researchers think this helps them spread and infect even more insects. The other fungi,Beauveria, is already an ingredient in some EPA-approvedbiopesticides. (▪ ▪ ▪)

► Please, continue reading this article here: Source

aranya

Interesting...