HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has announced the expansion of its spotted lanternfly quarantine zone to include Bradford, Sullivan, Venango, and Wyoming Counties. With this update, the quarantine now spans 52 counties, underscoring the significant threat posed by this invasive pest and the state’s commitment to controlling its spread.
“As you clean up your yard or just enjoy beautiful Pennsylvania spring days, you can help keep lanternflies from becoming a summer nuisance and harming our valuable grape and nursery industries,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Every spotted lanternfly egg mass you scrape and squash is 30-50 damage-causing insects that won’t hatch in May.”
A Persistent Threat to Agriculture
The spotted lanternfly, first discovered in the U.S. in Berks County in 2014, remains a pressing threat to Pennsylvania’s agriculture, particularly its $1.77 billion wine and grape industry. Despite aggressive control efforts, the pest continues to spread, largely by hitching rides on vehicles. Its voracious appetite for crops like grapes, apples, and hops has made it a destructive force to both the agricultural sector and ornamental plant industries.
Surveys by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, conducted alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture, informed the quarantine expansion. While some new areas within the quarantine zone have small, localized populations, the inclusion of these counties reflects the state’s proactive approach to containment.
Quarantine Rules and Responsibilities
Under the expanded quarantine, businesses and individuals are prohibited from moving spotted lanternflies at any stage of life or transporting infested items, such as firewood and debris, without proper precautions. Residents and business operators traveling in and out of quarantined areas must adhere to the guidelines, which include obtaining permits for businesses. Over 33,300 businesses across the U.S. and Canada have already secured permits for more than 1.42 million employees, ensuring proper protocols are followed to prevent further spread.
The Department of Agriculture emphasized that residents play a critical role in slowing the lanternfly’s spread. Egg masses, often found on outdoor surfaces like trees, rocks, equipment, and furniture, are a primary target for control efforts. Each egg mass contains 30-50 eggs and can survive harsh winter conditions. Residents are urged to scrape and destroy these eggs, an easy task that requires no special tools and offers an effective line of defense.
Protecting Pennsylvania Agriculture
The quarantine is just one facet of Pennsylvania’s broader strategy to address the invasive pest. Funding for research into innovative pest control methods, increased monitoring, and partnerships with federal and private sectors remain key to safeguarding the state’s agricultural economy.
“The Shapiro Administration is committed to protecting and preserving the tremendous value agriculture brings to our economy and our daily lives,” said Redding. “Funding research to develop safe, innovative pest control methods, monitoring and treating destructive pests like lanternflies aggressively, and fostering strategic partnerships between government and industry are all critical tools Pennsylvania has invested in to continue to control this destructive pest.”
A Call to Action
The Agriculture Department’s message is clear: containment requires statewide cooperation. With spring’s arrival, now is the time to act by destroying egg masses and minimizing the pest’s ability to establish itself further. Such measures are essential not only for those directly involved in agriculture but for communities throughout Pennsylvania who are impacted by the economic and environmental toll of the spotted lanternfly.
Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and proactive by reporting sightings, adhering to quarantine guidelines, and taking simple steps to eliminate the pest from their properties. Only through coordinated efforts can Pennsylvania hope to fully mitigate the threat posed by the spotted lanternfly.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.