Pennsylvania’s spotted lanternfly quarantine zone has been expanded to include Dauphin County, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced today.
The decision to expand the quarantine, which gives the department authority to restrict the movement of commodities within the zone, was made after the department investigated claims of a spotted lanternfly population in Dauphin County and treated the area against the insect.
The quarantine zone was last expanded in November 2017 to include Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties.
The quarantine gives the department the authority to regulate the movement of commodities that may be moving within or leaving the quarantine zone. It restricts the movement of articles that contain any life stages of the spotted lanternfly, including egg masses, nymphs and adults.
All businesses are required to take an online training course designated to help them recognize the spotted lanternfly and prevent its movement, after which they will receive a permit from the department.
(A free business permit webinar will be held from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, March 21. To register for the webinar, visit www.Spottedlanternfly.eventbrite.com.)
As part of the spotted lanternfly quarantine agreement beginning May 1, 2019, the department’s Bureau of Plant Industry will begin to perform inspections and verification checks to confirm that businesses are properly permitted. Failure to take the permit exam and educate employees could result in possible penalties and fines.
“Whether you are a contractor, farmer, truck driver or business or rail owner, the spotted lanternfly can pose a risk to your business and threaten your bottom line,” said department Secretary Russell Redding. “It is incumbent on Pennsylvania’s business community to obtain a permit so that we can demonstrate our due diligence to trading partners and restrict the movement of this invasive pest to other areas of the commonwealth and other states.”
The spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper native to Southeast Asia, was first discovered in the U.S. in Berks County in 2014. In addition to spreading into 13 Pennsylvania counties since then, the insect was found in in Frederick County, Virginia, in 2017, and in Hunterdon, Mercer and Warren counties in New Jersey in 2018.
Spotted lanternflies feed on the sap of a plant and when there are high populations of them, they can cause significant damage. They feed on more than 70 species of plants, including important forestry and agricultural crops.
As part of the PA Farm Bill to protect agriculture infrastructure, the Pennsylvania Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account will provide $5 million in funding to allow for a quick response to agricultural disasters, which includes $3 million to use animal or plant health officials to contain an outbreak or threat, such as the spotted lanternfly. Additionally, the USDA recently dedicated more than $7.5 million in new funding to Pennsylvania’s efforts.
The funding builds on work over the past year to eradicate the pest. The department has taken responsibility for suppressing spotted lanternfly populations in the core infestation area, while the USDA has established a perimeter extending 18 miles out from the core area, where they are working to eliminate any infestation.
The non-native, invasive spotted lanternfly passes through four stages of nymph development before becoming the winged adult.
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has taken the lead on public outreach through its Cooperative Extension service.
Additionally, the Wolf Administration has been training employees and issuing permits to state vehicles that travel through the quarantine zone.
Redding added that despite the new funding and the work being done through PDA’s partnership with Penn State and USDA, it is imperative that Pennsylvania homeowners assist control efforts by obtaining the materials needed to spray and suppress spotted lanternflies on their own properties.
“I encourage all Pennsylvania businesses to learn how they can do their part to get permitted, and for communities and homeowners to join us in this fight,” he said. “This invasive insect is prone to human-assisted movement, so residents need to stay vigilant, check their vehicles and survey their surroundings.
By contacting your local Penn State Extension staff, you can receive tips and information about the latest products available to combat Spotted Lanternfly, such as sprays, sticky bands, and other approved control methods.”
Homeowners with questions about treatment, including approved sprays, can learn more through Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly webpage.
For more information about the spotted lanternfly, visit the Department of Agriculture’s Spotted Lanternfly webpage.