Learn about spotted lanternfly's life history, threats in Jan. 10 Shepherdstown talk

The Herald-Mail
·2 min read

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — The threats posed by the invasive spotted lanternfly will be the topic of a lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. at the National Conservation Training Center, Byrd Auditorium, 698 Conservation Way, Shepherdstown.

Tracy Leskey will discuss "Quantifying the threat posed by and developing sustainable solutions for invasive spotted lanternfly."

Leskey will present the life history and invasion patterns of the insect, current research on the host plants that are at risk to injury (wine grapes) and those likely not to be impacted, how scientists monitor for their presence (traps and eDNA), and some sustainable solutions for their management (biological control, entomopathogenic fungi).

Leskey holds a PhD in entomology from the University of Massachusetts, an MS in ecology from the Pennsylvania State University and a BS from Wilson College.

Tracey Leskey
Tracey Leskey

Leskey has been employed by the USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, W.Va., for more than 20 years, where she serves as Station Director and Research Entomologist.

Her research has focused on development of behaviorally-based management tools for invasive and persistent native pests of fruit crops. She has published more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and several patents.

Leskey has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post and NPR on numerous occasions and appeared live on Fox News and C-SPAN, and has done several stories with National Geographic.

She has served on the governing board of the Entomological Society of America and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Wilson College.

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This program will be recorded and broadcast online Thursday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. at https://livestream.com/nctc.

The lecture is part of the NCTC Conservation Lecture Series, which this month is cosponsored by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society and The Friends of the NCTC.

No tickets or reservations are required.

For more information, contact Mark Madison at 304-876-7276 or mark_madison@fws.gov.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Spotted lanternfly talk at Shepherdstown conservation center Jan. 10