The Spot the Spotted Lanternfly spring egg mass survey season has officially come to a close. A huge THANK YOU to all of our amazing volunteers. Here's what this group accomplished in less than 2 months' time since the program first launched in mid-March:
-109 volunteers took on a total of 196 survey assignments in various parks and natural areas in northern New Jersey and in the Lower Hudson PRISM region in New York State. These volunteers dedicated a whopping 557 hours to surveying. Incredible work!
-No egg masses were found at any of the 123 volunteer survey sites in New York State nor were any new egg masses found outside of the known infestation areas by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) this spring. This is wonderful news, but we must stay vigilant and keep our eyes peeled throughout the summer for any sightings of the nymphs. Volunteers surveying for adults will reconvene in late summer in our region, so stay tuned!
-In New Jersey, egg masses were reported at 14 of the 73 total survey sites. All egg mass observations were posted to iNaturalist. At these sites, volunteers were also encouraged to scrape the egg masses into a Ziploc bag, smoosh the eggs, and cover them in hand sanitizer or alcohol before sealing the bag for disposal. This type of early detection (survey) and rapid response (removal) approach is critical for preventing the continued spread of this insect -In the last few weeks of April, a small group of volunteer surveyors were organized to help with the removal of egg masses from a known SLF infestation site in Orangeburg, N.Y. Altogether, these volunteers, with help from LH PRISM and NYS DAM staff, helped to remove close to 600 egg masses from this infested site. This is rapid response in action!
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