Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Expands Into Limerick, Montco

State officials have announced that the spotted lanternfly quarantine has been expanded to cover several Montgomery County townships.

The spotted lanternfly disproportionately consumes grapevines, apple trees, stone fruit trees, and pine trees and has the potential to destroy ecosystems, according to officials. It has been found in counties throughout the state, including Berks, Bucks, and Chester counties. The quarantine zone has now extended into Montgomery County.

Townships in the quarantine include: Lower Frederick Township, Pottstown Borough, Royersford Borough, Limerick Township, Upper Providence Township, Upper Pottsgrove Township, and Upper Salford.

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.

The 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.

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.

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.

Montgomery 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.

Photo credit: US Department of Agriculture