By: Adam Beam 4/4/21
Photo Courtesy: PA Department of Agriculture
The invasive insect species known as spotted lanternflies have now put eight counties in Pennsylvania into a quarantine zone.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the quarantine now encompasses 34 counties on Wednesday, March 10. However, it should be noted that the counties in quarantine are not necessarily infested, but contain certain municipalities that appear to be hives for infestations.
The other counties are Cambria, Cameron, Franklin, Lackawanna, Montour, Pike, Wayne and Westmoreland.
As an article by PennState extension reports when you find a spotted lanternfly or a suspicious looking egg mass in a municipality where it is not known to exist, you should “try to collect it and put it into a vial filled with alcohol to kill and preserve it, or at least take a good picture of it. Report it to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) by emailing badbug@pa.gov or call the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-253-7189. Your discovery could add additional municipalities to the quarantined area.”
You can also find more information about the spotted lanternfly, by visiting agriculture.pa.gov/spottedlanternfly.