COLUMBUS — Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine to include eight new counties. Those counties include Cambria, Cameron, Franklin, Lackawanna, Montour, Pike, Wayne and Westmoreland counties.
There are now 34 Pennsylvania counties under spotted lanternfly quarantine, just over half of the 67 counties in the state.
In Ohio, the Ohio Department of Agriculture has written proposed rules for a spotted lanternfly quarantine in the buckeye state, and those rules are in the open comment period. Once that period expires, the department will review the comments and move in the direction to implement the quarantine rules.
The spotted lanternfly was detected in Ohio last fall in Jefferson County, and the quarantine will address that population.
All Ohioans can be on the look-out for this emerging invasive species. Last fall, adult spotted lanternfly females laid eggs that will remain in that stage until later this spring when nymphs begin to hatch.
As temperatures warm and we find ourselves outdoors, we are encourage everyone to keep their eyes peeled for the egg masses.
If you suspect you have seen spotted lanternfly egg masses, you can report them through the Great Lakes Early Detection Network App, or contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture directly via an online reporting form, email or phone call. You will need to provide an address of the location of the egg mass, a name, contact information and photos.
