Spotted lanternflies could cost NYS grape industry millions

Researchers estimate that, if left unchecked, the spotted lanternfly – which decimated vineyards in Pennsylvania when it arrived in 2014 – could cause significant economic losses to the New York state grape industry.

Using data from two key regions – the Lake Erie region, the largest Concord grape producer in the world, and the Finger Lakes region, the largest wine producer in the state – researchers found that losses could reach $1.5 million, $4 million and $8.8 million in the first, second and third years of infestation, respectively.

The study, published Jan. 20 in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, underscores the importance of proactive management and preparedness, as well as continued research on best practices for controlling the pest. 

“It might seem like spotted lanternfly is not as big a problem as it seemed a few years ago,” said first author Allan Pinto, an agricultural economist for New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYSIPM) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “This reminds people: It might not be bad if you do something, but if you don’t, it could be really bad.”

To estimate the losses, researchers used data on acreage and grape production collected from extension specialists and growers in the regions studied. With co-authors from Pennsylvania State University, they looked at losses in Pennsylvania in the first years of infestation and estimated the projected losses in New York – to illustrate a worst-case scenario. 

“It’s important to have something like this so that growers can understand that they need to take spotted lanternfly seriously,” said Brian Eshenaur, invasive species coordinator and senior extension associate with NYSIPM. “It’s also important for the industry overall, to understand the impacts if nothing is done.”

The authors said another key audience for the study, the first peer-reviewed research on the pest’s economic impact, is lawmakers at the state and federal levels, who can allocate resources for early detection tools, eradication programs, and research and extension. 

The spotted lanternfly, native to Asia, was introduced accidentally in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014 and quickly spread, devastating crops and becoming an outdoor nuisance. Among other hosts, the pest feeds on the sap of grapevines, negatively impacting both the quality and the quantity of grapes produced.

It has spread to 17 states, and the first individual lanternfly was documented in New York in 2017. By 2020, populations had been established on Staten Island and in Ithaca, and later in New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. The Finger Lakes region saw its first spotted lanternfly in July 2024.

New York state is the third-largest wine producer in the country and a significant producer of juice grapes. All told, the state’s grape industry generated approximately $15 billion in 2022 and comprises nearly 470 wineries and 900 vineyards, attracting 5 million visitors annually.

While no ill effects from the pest have been reported in New York vineyards so far, Pinto said the research calls on growers to keep up their guard.

“We’re doing OK because Pennsylvania State University and others have been doing such a great job with the research and helping growers adapt,” he said. “But that’s why we’re doing OK, because of that control and outreach, and we need to keep doing it.”

The study, which includes information on the life cycle of the spotted lanternfly, as well as best practices for monitoring for and fighting the pest, will be included in numerous direct outreach efforts to growers in New York state, who can use the information to plan for and mitigate losses. The paper also provides a methodology for other states to estimate damages and pass on that information to their own growers.

“By having this study in a peer-reviewed publication, it helps other states that are just starting to get spotted lanternflies,” Eshenaur said. “Just like we were helped so much by Penn State, with them sharing their research and strategies and working with us, this will help others.”

The research is part of a larger effort at Cornell to help New York state and its growers address the threat – with multiple faculty and staff working on research, education and direct outreach.

The next step for Pinto and his co-authors is to provide growers with projections for how much the different prevention and treatment strategies will cost, a study that goes hand-in-hand with the economic outlook, he said. “This is what you can lose if you do nothing,” he said, “and this is what it costs you to control it, so growers can compare the benefit.”

Co-authors of the study include Alejandro A. Calixto, director of NYSIPM; Miguel Gómez, the Robert G. Tobin Professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management; and Michela Centinari and Flor E. Acevedo from Pennsylvania State University.

Funding was provided by NYSIPM, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Media Contact

Kaitlyn Serrao