Eight Counties Added to Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Zone

The state Department of Agriculture has added eight counties to Pennsylvania’s spotted lanternfly quarantine zone ahead of the 2021 spring hatch. With this addition, the quarantine zone for this invasive pest is now at 34 counties.  

Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly is capable of decimating entire grape vineyards and damaging fruit orchards, hops, walnuts, hardwoods, and decorative trees. In addition, they’re known to swarm in the air, cover trees, and coat decks and play equipment with their excrement.  

“The spotted lanternfly is more than a pest in the literal sense,” says Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding. “It’s wreaking havoc for home and business owners, kids who just want to play outside, Pennsylvania agriculture, and the economy of the state we all call home. Whether you think it’s your job or not, we need every Pennsylvanian to keep their eyes peeled for signs of this bad bug – to scrape every egg mass, squash every bug, and report every sighting.” 

Cambria, Cameron, Franklin, Lackawanna, Montour, Pike, Wayne, and Westmoreland are the newly added counties. The eight new counties are not completely infested but rather have a few infested municipalities, which can be viewed here. Click here for the map of all counties in the quarantine area. Click here to learn more about the spotted lanternfly and why it is a major problem for Pennsylvania. Click here to learn more about the quarantine.