Lanternflies are coming for your wine

State of play: Lanternflies have spread across the entire state — including the Richmond area — since first appearing in Winchester in 2018.

• They've become such a nuisance that the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recommends killing any of them on sight.
• The bug also has no natural predators, though a team at Virginia Tech is training dogs to sniff out spotted lanternfly egg masses to catch the bug in its early stages.
• But not even spraying insecticide on them has been enough to keep them away, Scott Spelbring, director of winemaking and viticulture at Bluemont Vineyard in Loudoun, told the Post.

How it works: The spotted lanternfly feeds on grapevines, which weakens crops and can turn away visitors.

• After draining the nutrients, the bug leaves behind a sticky residue that turns black with mold.

What they're saying: "Farming is already economically challenging without this added insult," Jack Sexton, owner of Williams Gap Vineyard, told The Post.

Go deeper: Congress steps in to fight spotted lanternflies