Ohio Wineries Brace for Lanternflies

In partnership with: Ohio Department of Agriculture

With 376 wineries and counting representing thousands of winery employees, Ohio is the sixth-largest wine-producing state in the nation. Ohio is proud of its many wineries and winemaking heritage. Before Prohibition, Ohio was the largest wine producer in the country, due in no small part to the flavorful Catawba grape that grew well here.

New Pests, New Problems

In nearby Pennsylvania, wineries and other agriculture businesses have been dealt a hard blow with the spread of the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). This insect is originally from Asia, but when it invaded the U.S., it became a major danger to trees and fruit plants. Ohio wineries are doing their best to protect their legacy by taking steps to prevent this pest from impacting them.

“We’re lucky in Ohio that we don’t have a lot of insect pests,” says Robin Coolidge, owner of Rockside Winery in Lancaster, Ohio. “We have to deal with stink bugs, Japanese beetles, and the grape berry moth, but they are controllable and do not cause much damage to the vines.”

The longtime grape producer is accustomed to fighting pests, but the spotted lanternfly is a whole new beast.

“The spotted lanternfly is a sapsucker,” Coolidge says. “It latches on and sucks the juice from the vines. They also excrete a substance that molds and mildews on the vines. It’s a pest that can actually kill the vines.”

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Eating Profits of Wineries

Rockside and other Ohio vineyards have reason to be concerned about the insect becoming prevalent in the state. The pest has already been spotted in Mingo and Cleveland as of fall 2021. An economic study said if left unchecked, the spotted lanternfly could cause $300 million in damage to Pennsylvania alone.

Small newer wineries like Tipsy Farmer Winery are also bracing for the potential costs that could come with an influx of spotted lanternflies. They are just getting to the point where their on-site grapevines are ready to produce substantial grape crops.

“We might lose a varietal or two [to lanternflies]. It wouldn’t give us a death blow or anything, but we have a lot of work and hours in to get our grapes to where we can make our own estate wine,” says Don Paynter, owner of Tipsy Farmer Winery. “To get wiped out would be heartbreaking.”

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Squashing the Problem

While there are insecticides that kill spotted lanternflies, many wineries spray as infrequently as possible. It can add to costs and some insecticides aren’t very healthy for the environment. Spotted lanternflies are particularly fast when it comes to multiplying, so controlling their populations is even more challenging.

Both wineries are participating in the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s outreach program to educate locals. Everyone can be the eyes on the ground for an arriving spotted lanternfly population.

“We’re helping to get the word out by handing out cards with pictures to our customers. So that if they see them, they can call the Department of Agriculture,” Coolidge says. “They lay egg cases that are hard to see, but the card has pictures of the various life stages of the spotted lanternfly.”

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The spotted lanternfly has at least four identifiably different looks at different life stages: early nymph, late nymph, closed-wing adult, and open-wing adult. It would take a full crew to monitor every leaf and vine and correctly spot the bug. However, being aware of the stages is the first step to prevention.

“We’re pretty rural, so we know our neighbors pretty well, and they can help us know if they see any of the stages of the lanternfly,” Paynter says.

By getting a good picture of where the spotted lanternfly is currently active, the community has a better chance of staving it off for longer. New insecticide regimens and biological controls are being developed to mitigate its damage as soon as possible.

“It’s not a matter of if we get the pests but rather a matter of when,” Coolidge says. “But we’re watching for them so we can take whatever actions we can at the time to control them. Delaying it as much as possible helps us have some tools to take care of it when they do get here.”