Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The invasive spotted lanternfly (SLF), which has wreaked havoc across the nation, has been spotted in Massachusetts in a beloved botanical garden: the Mount Auburn Cemetery & Arboretum.
The outdoor space sits on the Cambridge/Watertown line, the latter of which reported the infestation and offered a management guide. The SLF often hitches a ride on cars and trucks to spread to other U.S. states.
It's an infestation that spills out into the larger Suffolk County, and in western and southern portions of the state, according to a dashboard from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Why are these bugs such a problem? The SLF chews away and sucks up sap of trees and plants— including precious crops like grapevines, hops, and other fruit trees.
The SLF was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, and since then, some wildlife officials have gone as far as to recommend squashing the bugs and their egg masses on sight.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas checked out the local site of infestation and asked people if they've seen any spotted bugs looming around. Susie takes regular walks at Mount Auburn Cemetery, she says there's a mitigation game plan in the works.
Photo: James Rojas / WBZ NewsRadio
"If there's a way of mitigating that situation as it comes up this way in stronger force, I'm all for supporting them in those efforts. They have a citizen's scientist program here— it could be added to that," Susie said.
Ronnit Bendavid-Val is Vice President of Horticulture & Landscape at Mount Auburn Cemetery, she says they reported the sighting to MDAR and that the SLF is moving northward.
"We just identified it last week on site. Up to now it's never been identified in Cambridge or Watertown— it was only a matter of time," Bendavid-Val said.
Officials say they do not know the extent of the SLF infestation as of posting.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas reports.