11/15/17
by News Department on 11/15/17Spotted Lanternfly...
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month that it has expanded the areas quarantined due to Spotted Lanternfly, but unlike past quarantine expansions that were imposed only at the municipal level, it is now applying the designation at the county level in order to provide an additional level of protection.
As part of a strategic effort to contain the insect’s spread, the department expanded the quarantine countywide this month to Carbon, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Monroe, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill counties.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the insect is invasive and threatens to destroy $18 billion worth of agricultural commodities here like apples, grapes and hardwoods.
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.
