According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the invasive spotted lanternfly has made its way into 12 more counties. The counties that have been added to the quarantine zone where there are known infestations are: Allegheny, Beaver, Blair, Columbia, Cumberland, Huntingdon, Juniata, Luzerne, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, and York.
Shannon Powers, the press secretary for the Department of Agriculture, said the Pennsylvania Farm bill budget sets aside $3 million dollars to protect the state’s agriculture from the invasive species, which can cause serious damage to trees.
Powers urges that if you spot these bugs, do not hesitate to squash them.
“You can keep an eye out for egg masses and eliminate them yourself. Each egg mass is 30 to 50 fewer spotted lanternflies that can hatch out in the spring. If you find them, you know, scrape them off, kill them, get rid of them, but also take the time to report them,” Powers said.
In total, 26 counties are now under quarantine from the spotted lanternfly.
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