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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Eric Berger

‘They don’t belong in our environment’: US vineyards battle spotted lanternflies as invasive insects spread

a lanternfly in front of a city landscape
The US population of spotted lanternflies has increased in recent years and affected the winemaking and forestry sectors. Photograph: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Around grape harvest time about three years ago, an employee at Zephaniah Farm Vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia, noticed bugs, about 1in long with gray and black wings and a bright red underwing, atop some trees.

While the insects were pretty, they were there for the grapevines and not welcome guests at the vineyard, which sits atop a farm that the Zephaniah family has run since 1949.

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