( WJET/WFXP ) — Have you ever heard a rumor about new method of doing something just to try it and find out it works? Researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture did just that to find a way to handle the growing issue of invasive spotted lanternflies.
According to the USDA, scientists from the USDA Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, FL looked into a rumor that the invasive flies are attracted to vibrations which turned out to be true.
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Richard Mankin and his colleagues at the USDA published their research in the Journal of Economic Entomology finding that spotted lantern flies are attracted to 60 Hz vibrations, the same ones found in most power lines.
“There were rumors that lanternflies are attracted to vibrations of buzzing electrical power lines, so we did a laboratory study of nymph and adult responses to 60-cycle (60Hz) vibrations,” Mankin said. “The rumor proved to be correct! Both nymphs and adults walked towards the source of [the] vibrations.”