Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine
Montgomery County is now part of the newly revised county-wide spotted lanternfly quarantine. The quarantine press release is here: http://www.media.pa.gov/pages/Agriculture_details.aspx?newsid=616
This affects our municipality even if spotted lanternfly hasn’t shown up yet. Although this is a bug that we’re still learning more about, destroying egg masses and Ailanthus trees at this time of year is a proactive strategy to take. The spotted lanternfly has the potential to hugely impact not just our local agricultural economy, but the various goods that are shipped through (and out of) this area.
What to do:
If you see egg masses, scrape them off, double bag them and throw them away. You can also place the eggs into alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them. Please report all destroyed egg masses online.
Collect a specimen: Specimens of any life stage can be turned in to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Entomology lab for verification. Submit samples with the Entomology Program Sample Submission Form.
Take a picture: A photograph of any life stage (including egg masses) can be submitted to Badbug@pa.gov.
Report a site: If you can’t take a specimen or photograph, call the Automated Invasive Species Report Line at 1-866-253-7189 and leave a message detailing your sighting and contact information.
Some strategies for eradication, and their overall timing, are listed in the attached chart:
Spotted Lanternfly
For more information on what to do if you’ve spotted bugs or eggs, visit http://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spotted_lanternfly/Pages/default.aspx.
Additional Links:
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-for-homeowners