North’d, Columbia, Luzerne added to Spotted Lanternfly quarantine
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - A Spotted Lanternfly on a sidewalk in Maxatawny Township, Berks County on August 27, 2019.
CONYNGHAM TOWNSHIP, Columbia County – Twelve counties were added to the quarantine for the invasive Spotted Lanternfly, the PA Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday afternoon.
Among the new counties are Columbia, Northumberland, and Luzerne, partway because officials say the bug has been found in Conyngham Township in Columbia County and Mount Carmel Township in Northumberland County. Schuylkill County was already a part of the quarantine.
“The Spotted Lanternfly is more than a pest in the literal sense,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding in a media release. “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. We need to unite over our hatred for this pest for our common love: Pennsylvania.”
The bug originated in Berks County and is prevalent particularly in the Kutztown area in the early fall months.
The additions to the quarantine, officials said, were a result of municipalities within the counties added having a “known infestation,” thus leading to the precautionary quarantine for the entire county.
According to a map provided by the Department of Agriculture, those known municipalities in Northumberland and Columbia Counties are Mount Carmel Township and Conyngham Township respectively. In Luzerne County, those municipalities are the townships of Dennison, Hanover, and Wilkes-Barre, as well as the city of Wilkes-Barre and borough of DuPont.
“Most of these municipalities have already been aggressively treated,” Dr. Ruth Welliver, director of the Bureau of Plant Industry, said in a media release. “With continued aggressive treatment and monitoring, and an actively engaged community, we can strike Spotted Lanternfly from these counties.”
Businesses that operate in or travel through quarantined counties are required to obtain a Spotted Lanternfly permit; fines associated with noncompliance can be up to $300 for a criminal citation or up to $20,000 for a civil penalty.
The new additions to the quarantine bring the total of quarantined counties in Pennsylvania to 26, primarily in southeastern Pennsylvania.
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