Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Expands, 4 More Bucks County Towns Added

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has added 26 municipalities — including four in Bucks County — to the spotted lanternfly quarantine. In Bucks County, the quarantine is now in place in New Britain and Plumstead townships, as well as in Chalfont and New Britain boroughs.

The quarantine was already in place in Bedminster, Haycock, Hilltown, Milford and Richland townships; as well as Dublin, Quakertown, Richlandtown, Silverdale and Trumbauersville boroughs.

Several municipalities in the region, including those in Montgomery, Chester and Lehigh counties, are also under quarantine, which restricts movements of material that could spread the pest. Click here for a full list of towns under quarantine.

Nymph and adult spotted lanternflies cause extensive damage when they feed, sucking sap from stems and leaves and causing the plant to ooze and weep, according to experts. Not only does the plant die but the “fermented odor” caused by the feeding, along with the fluid excreted by the insects themselves, promotes mold growth and draws even more insects, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The roughly inch-long plant hopper is a native to China, India, and Vietnam. There are 25 species of plants in Pennsylvania which the lanternfly has been known to feed off of. Click here for more details from the state Department of Agriculture.

Here is what they look like. (More images can be found here.)

“Our goal remains to eliminate this pest from Pennsylvania and see to it that it does not spread elsewhere. But to do that, we need the public to help us by watching out for these pests, reporting new infestations, and ensuring that they don’t hitch a ride when you travel," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement.

In addition to ecological degradation, the lanternfly can have a significant economic impact. The bug threatens Pennsylvania's $20.5 million grape industry, $134 million apple industry, $24 million stone fruit industry, and $12 billion hardwood industry, agriculture officials said.

Bucks County residents who find spotted lanternflies are asked to take a photograph if possible, immediately destroy them, and then alert the State Department of Agriculture at (717) 787-4737.