Blue Marsh Lake in nearby Bucks County could hold the key to finding an environmentally friendly solution to killing the spotted lanternfly, writes Lisa Scheid for The Reading Eagle.

A six-acre lot in a remote section of Blue Marsh National Recreation Area is being used for large-scale research aimed at evaluating the efficiency of biological control methods against the invasive pest.

The study is being led by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, along with Cornell University, and builds on research already performed by the team at Norristown Farm Park in Montgomery County last year.

According to Penn State’s Heather Leach, researchers are currently trying to determine what is the best life stage to target the insect at, as well as which formula is best.

Additionally, the researchers are measuring the impact on pollinators, ground predators, wildlife, and birds.

“The reason we are being so in-depth is that we want to make sure if this is something that works against the spotted lanternfly and that we have done due diligence that the environmental impact is very low,” said Leach.

Read more about spotted lanternfly research in The Reading Eagle here.

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