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Project Objectives

Leaves of a Tree of Heaven

01

Deliver the fungus Verticillium nonalfalfae to Tree of Heaven in the field and determine if the fungus can be spread by Spotted Lanternfly, thus controlling the spread of Tree of Heaven.

02

Deliver commercially available Beauvera bassiana and nematodes to Spotted Lanternfly in the field to see if these natural pest management methods are effective against Spotted Lanternfly.

Spotted Lanternfly on a branch
A picturesque view of a vineyard

03

Conduct field tests of complementary non-chemical methods to manage Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven across areawide sites in multiple states.

Spotted Lanternfly on a grape vine illustration

Managing Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven is made possible by USDA-ARS Areawide Program #8080-21000-001-00D.

Contact Information:

tracy.leskey@usda.gov

Appalachian Fruit Research Station

2217 Wiltshire Road

Kearneysville, WV 25430

Research Partners:

USDA-ARS

​Penn State University

Rutgers University

Virginia Tech

University of Georgia

University of Minnesota

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© 2026 Leveraging Biological Control Agents to Simultaneously Reduce Populations of Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven at an Areawide Scale. All rights reserved.

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