Vacuum tackles spotted lanternfly infestations without spraying pesticides, Staten Island exterminator says
- Published: Aug. 01, 2022, 6:30 a.m.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Amid the struggle to control Staten Island’s growing spotted lanternfly infestation without damaging gardens and knocking out critical pollinators, one Staten Island exterminator has turned to an environmentally-safe vacuum designed for sensitive indoor environments.
The Atrix high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) vacpack, which contains a HEPA filter and a nature-friendly pesticide, has been in the pest-control arsenal for years, said Mark Loffredo, president of Post Exterminating, but it previously has only been used inside nursing homes and hospitals, where pesticides would be harmful and impractical.
“This is the safest and cleanest option, and it works,’’ said Loffredo, explaining that vacuum chops the insects up while a nature-friendly pesticide remains inside the filter and is never released into the environment.
While Staten Islanders won’t see spotted lanternflies hopping and flying around their yards until later this summer or fall, many are reporting sightings of lanternfly instars, or newly hatched nymphs, recently emerged from egg masses. They’re found on trees and other outdoor structures, and environmental experts urge residents to destroy them before they become full-grown.
The destructive insects, which won’t take on their familiar red coloration and start flying for a few more weeks, feed on more than 70 plant species, including tree-of-heaven. Not only are they a nuisance, they’re also a threat to plants and crops that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy, such as grapevines, hops, apple trees and maple trees, the state Department of Agriculture warns.
Loffredo initially tried the vacuum, much more powerful than a household vacuum, on his own perennial border garden, and was thrilled with the results. A treatment every few weeks will easily control the population in an average-size yard on Staten Island, he said. “If we get in there a couple of times in the course of a month, we can knock them out,’’ he said.
Traditional yard pesticides are harmful to critical pollinators, including butterflies, wasps, bees and hornets, said Cliff Hagen, president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, a longtime Staten Island non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the Island’s parkland and open spaces.
“Random spraying of these chemicals, unfortunately, kills everything it touches,’’ Hagen said. “No bug is immune. But spiders, ants, bees, they sort of clean up the whole yard for us. The pollination the bees provide is invaluable.’’
Moths, too, and even hummingbirds, are threatened by pesticide spraying, Hagen said, as well as the flowers that rely on them for pollination.
Spotted lanternflies were widely blamed for damaged trees across the South and West shores of Staten Island last fall, and are expected to be active again this year.
The nymphs currently invading gardens are small (1/8 inch) and can be hard to find, but with each molt they roughly double in size, according to the Penn State Extension, an environmental educational organization.
They emerge from egg masses, which resemble brown splotches, and are commonly found on tree trunks.
Refuses to spray
Frequently asked by potential customers to do “broadcast spraying,’’ of pesticides to control lanternflies, Loffredo,who has worked as an adjunct college professor teaching a class on pesticides and the environment, says he always refuses.
In the vacuum’s HEPA filter, pyrethrum dust, which is made from chrysanthemums, is fatal to the insects. The dust remains inside the filter and is as safe and non-toxic to humans as you’re going to get, Loffredo said.
That makes the treatment even easier than spraying, said Loffredo, because the protective equipment required by professionals when applying pesticides is not needed.
Hagen said he loves the idea of the vacuum.
“I’m excited about the possibility that we may be able to handle the spotted lanternfly in an expeditious way that is less environmentally damaging,’’ he said, noting the Island has seen a significant decline in pollinators — especially butterflies — over the past 10 years.
Last year, with funding from Con Edison, the Protectors created the first-ever Staten Island butterfly checklist, discovering that the population on the Island is shrinking. Fifty years ago, 110 species of butterflies were recorded on the Island, Hagen said. Today, there’s just over 50.
Though no studies confirm it, Hagen blames the frequent use of spray chemical pesticides.
“For the sake of our children, we’re supposed to be stewards of the natural world,’’ he said. “We’re failing. That’s a decision each person is making — that they’re going to spray their yards, regardless of the bees and the butterflies.’’
Since about 50% of Loffredo’s business is comprised of healthcare facilities, the HEPA vaxpack is something he uses often. It was a logical choice to try, he said.
“It does suck up some of the leaves, but it gets all the bugs,’’ he said. “I’m using it on the whole yard.”
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