The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Lanternfly quarantine zone expands
Digital First Media staff
The continuing infestation by the invasive spotted lanternfly insects has pushed Pennsylvania officials to declare quarantines at the county level and to add seven additional counties to the ones already affected.
Until now, officials at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture had been issuing quarantines on an individual municipality basis, but Friday announced the necessity of declaring them
countywide.
Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties are all included, and the state has now added Carbon, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Monroe, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties.
The quarantine now includes areas where the insect is not yet confirmed, but where there is a high risk of its rapid spread beyond the region, according to a release from the Department of Agriculture.
“Eradicating the spotted lanternfly is important not only for our citizens, but for our economy as well,” said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “This invasive insect threatens to destroy $18 billion worth of agricultural commodities here like apples, grapes and hardwoods, inflicting a devastating impact on the livelihoods of our producers and businesses. It’s also undermining the quality of life for Pennsylvanians who are coping with hoards found in many infested areas.”
During the summer months, control efforts focused on eliminating the insects and the alianthus trees, also known as the Tree of Heaven, on which the spotted lanternflies prefer to breed and feed.
Now, with seasonal changes and changes in the insect’s life-cycle, the state is enlisting additional support from local, state and federal agencies and universities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already provided $2.9 million in the effort, as well as personnel at no cost. Pennsylvania is now seeking an additional $10 million to $12 million from the U.S. government.
“Three years into this infestation, we’ve been successful at keeping the spotted lanternfly solely a ‘Pennsylvania problem’ thanks to cooperative state and federal containment efforts,” Redding said.
“But it’s becoming apparent we must bring more resources to bear if we want to eradicate this pest,” he said.
Residents of the quarantined counties are being asked to:
• Scrape egg masses from trees or other surfaces, double bag them and throw them in the trash or place eggs in alcohol or hand-sanitizer to kill them. Egg masses laid in the fall are initially waxy looking, grey-brown blobs and later look like dried mud.
• Check vehicles for egg masses before leaving an infested area.
• Buy firewood locally. Do not take it with you when you leave.
• Check lawn furniture, wood products, construction materials, tarps, lawnmowers, trailers and other items stored outdoors before bringing them in for the winter, covering them or moving them.
• Do not transport brush, yard waste, remodeling or construction waste outside quarantined areas.
Anyone who finds insects or eggs outside the quarantined area should report sightings to badbugs@pa.gov and include photos if possible to confirm the sightings.
The insect is a native of South Korea and has attacked 25 plant species that also grow in Pennsylvania and was first discovered in Pennsylvania in Berks County in 2014.