Around 1000 BC, the Phoenicians introduced grapes to Europe. Subsequently, the European wine industry flourished. Today, the so-called "wine belt" extends from Greece to Portugal. In between, France is associated with grapes like Chardonnay; Germany with Riesling; Italy with Fiano. And the Europeans there produce top-shelf wines, just as they did a thousand years ago. But did you know that not a single grape strain exists in that general region that would have been there just two centuries ago, and not a single strain growing there two centuries ago exists today?
Unbeknownst to most people, a small, sap-feasting insect known as an aphid infested Europe in the 19th century, completely demolishing most of the "wine belt". Fortunately, thanks to wind patterns, weather and precipitation, as well as natural predators and the introduction of resistant grape strains, the aphid's triumph was short lived. And, after the importation of new grape tendril varieties from the United States, Europe's grape and wine industry was restored.
Today, it is widely believed that the aphid was an invasive species that came to Europe when aphid egg larvae found its way onto a Europe-bound ship from the Americas. The event triggered one of the largest European crop failures of all time. Unfortunately, history may soon repeat itself - and, this time, there does not appear to be help on the horizon. In fact, the horizon is only where the problem is likely to come from.
The problem is a pest that has recently been spread from its indigenous home in and around China to the United States. It was first detected in the northeast United States, in a small Pennsylvania town that is little more than a postal code address; from there, the pest spread out to surrounding counties and crossed state lines. At present, at least five U.S. states are affected: specifically, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. It was recently admitted that Pennsylvania's $18 billion wine and orchard industry could be in danger. But that is nothing compared to the likely impact if the pest expands to the pristine grape-growing region of upstate New York, home to the very varieties that helped replenish Europe's grape stock some 200 years ago. The region is bracing itself for the worst.
The culprit is the Spotted Lantern Fly, which attached itself to a shipping container in or around China which was bound for the United States. Unlike the harmless orange peel, Slim Jim or half-eaten apple I was once grilled for having when transferring to a connecting flight in an American airport, the shipping container was evidently never sufficiently inspected. Consider it just another gift of globalism - not unlike the resurfacing of the whooping cough, measles and other problems thought to have been extinguished from Western civilization, only to be introduced by those outside of it.
Although previously alien to the Western hemisphere, the Spotted Lantern Fly appears to be there to stay. The insect can hop and glide amazingly far, which has made quarantine efforts futile. Second, no frost or winter temperature in the eastern U.S. has delivered enough of a chill to destroy fly's eggs, which are deposited in small, mud-like sacs (on maple trees, especially) and end up anywhere if they are not ground into dust. Third, no native species has an appetite for the Spotted Lantern Fly, save a few random spiders. By contrast, the Spotted Lantern Fly has developed a lust for all the fruit trees, maple trees and grapes the eastern U.S. has to offer, devouring them even in favor of its usual first choice for feasting, the Chinese sumac (itself an invasive species). Accordingly, the Spotted Lantern Fly population has multiplied at an alarming rate, and its effect has spread like an epidemic throughout the eastern U.S. within just a few short years.
In suburban housing developments and neighborhoods with just a few trees, residents have attempted to trap the Spotted Lantern Fly using spearmint oil (which evidently attracts them) applied near sticky tape traps placed at the base of the trunks. But this is simply impossible to carry out in larger, wooded areas. Worse, no chemical which is normally sprayed onto grapes or trees will kill the Spotted Lantern Fly. In fact, a study has found that only two pesticides are effective over a month's duration of application, and the most effective is bifenthrin - a non-naturally occurring chemical that fails to dissolve in soil and is lethal for aquatic wildlife. On top of that, some insects have developed an immunity to bifenthrin, which is already being used in large quantities despite laboratory tests suggesting a link to cancer (possible carcinogen). Even worse, only through direct exposure to the chemical does the Spotted Lantern Fly perish, and the mortality rate, under repeated spraying for a month, is just 60%. Therefore, it remains to be seen how America's grape and fruit trees will fare in the long-term. The same question lingers regarding Canada's maple syrup industry, which is the source of 99% of the world's maple syrup, should the Spotted Lantern Fly find its way to the northern country and survive. Here is a list of what is endangered, and when:
Are we facing a crisis? You would never know. Like the legend of Roman emperor Nero fiddling as his civilization went up in literal flames, we are witnessing a comparable level of nonchalance. Penn State University, the research university evidently closest to the source of the U.S. outbreak, has taken such a disposition towards the problem. Just look at this interface:
Meanwhile, our women see the wings of the thing as a colorful accessory to add to art projects and put on display. One gallery was even sponsored by the same university doing the research:
It "allows us to see the beauty of them", the women say.
They also make jewelry out of it. Others get tattoos featuring the new pest, or dress themselves and their children up as one for fun:
If you were expecting some level of urgency on Wikipedia as a public service, you will not find it; it is just a rehash of the same downplay. One can only wonder: is this how Europe responded to the aphid epidemic? And if this is how our civilization dies - the new Rome - would you be surprised? I would not be.
Admittedly, however, I am surprised that the public is not complaining that people are tattooing, making art and dressing up in the black, white and red - those are "Nazi colors", remember? You would think the outrage would have hit by now...
Unbeknownst to most people, a small, sap-feasting insect known as an aphid infested Europe in the 19th century, completely demolishing most of the "wine belt". Fortunately, thanks to wind patterns, weather and precipitation, as well as natural predators and the introduction of resistant grape strains, the aphid's triumph was short lived. And, after the importation of new grape tendril varieties from the United States, Europe's grape and wine industry was restored.
Today, it is widely believed that the aphid was an invasive species that came to Europe when aphid egg larvae found its way onto a Europe-bound ship from the Americas. The event triggered one of the largest European crop failures of all time. Unfortunately, history may soon repeat itself - and, this time, there does not appear to be help on the horizon. In fact, the horizon is only where the problem is likely to come from.
The problem is a pest that has recently been spread from its indigenous home in and around China to the United States. It was first detected in the northeast United States, in a small Pennsylvania town that is little more than a postal code address; from there, the pest spread out to surrounding counties and crossed state lines. At present, at least five U.S. states are affected: specifically, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. It was recently admitted that Pennsylvania's $18 billion wine and orchard industry could be in danger. But that is nothing compared to the likely impact if the pest expands to the pristine grape-growing region of upstate New York, home to the very varieties that helped replenish Europe's grape stock some 200 years ago. The region is bracing itself for the worst.
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| Bugs. Everywhere. |
Although previously alien to the Western hemisphere, the Spotted Lantern Fly appears to be there to stay. The insect can hop and glide amazingly far, which has made quarantine efforts futile. Second, no frost or winter temperature in the eastern U.S. has delivered enough of a chill to destroy fly's eggs, which are deposited in small, mud-like sacs (on maple trees, especially) and end up anywhere if they are not ground into dust. Third, no native species has an appetite for the Spotted Lantern Fly, save a few random spiders. By contrast, the Spotted Lantern Fly has developed a lust for all the fruit trees, maple trees and grapes the eastern U.S. has to offer, devouring them even in favor of its usual first choice for feasting, the Chinese sumac (itself an invasive species). Accordingly, the Spotted Lantern Fly population has multiplied at an alarming rate, and its effect has spread like an epidemic throughout the eastern U.S. within just a few short years.
In suburban housing developments and neighborhoods with just a few trees, residents have attempted to trap the Spotted Lantern Fly using spearmint oil (which evidently attracts them) applied near sticky tape traps placed at the base of the trunks. But this is simply impossible to carry out in larger, wooded areas. Worse, no chemical which is normally sprayed onto grapes or trees will kill the Spotted Lantern Fly. In fact, a study has found that only two pesticides are effective over a month's duration of application, and the most effective is bifenthrin - a non-naturally occurring chemical that fails to dissolve in soil and is lethal for aquatic wildlife. On top of that, some insects have developed an immunity to bifenthrin, which is already being used in large quantities despite laboratory tests suggesting a link to cancer (possible carcinogen). Even worse, only through direct exposure to the chemical does the Spotted Lantern Fly perish, and the mortality rate, under repeated spraying for a month, is just 60%. Therefore, it remains to be seen how America's grape and fruit trees will fare in the long-term. The same question lingers regarding Canada's maple syrup industry, which is the source of 99% of the world's maple syrup, should the Spotted Lantern Fly find its way to the northern country and survive. Here is a list of what is endangered, and when:
Are we facing a crisis? You would never know. Like the legend of Roman emperor Nero fiddling as his civilization went up in literal flames, we are witnessing a comparable level of nonchalance. Penn State University, the research university evidently closest to the source of the U.S. outbreak, has taken such a disposition towards the problem. Just look at this interface:
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| Basic message: "Don't overreact, teach others not to overreact" |
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| Basic message: "Did you find 1 (of 999999999999999999) gliding by? Let's manage it." |
It "allows us to see the beauty of them", the women say.
They also make jewelry out of it. Others get tattoos featuring the new pest, or dress themselves and their children up as one for fun:
Admittedly, however, I am surprised that the public is not complaining that people are tattooing, making art and dressing up in the black, white and red - those are "Nazi colors", remember? You would think the outrage would have hit by now...
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| Hoisting the "Lantern Fly flag", obviously |
It is equally surprising to hear a choir of people demonizing this foreign thing using xenophobic language and not only slandering it as an "invasive species from Asia" or an "Asian pest", but criticizing the thing for not integrating well and even calling for its death. What happened to embracing diversity and globalism? What changed to make us suddenly so openly xenophobic and intolerant?
