US (PA): Lanternfly could cause billions in crop damage if spread
The pest first arrived in Pennsylvania — and the United States — in September 2014 when it showed up in Berks County. It now is found in 75 municipalities across six counties in eastern Pennsylvania, which have been quarantined and where strict measures have been implemented to kill the insect.
Since 2015, the state has received about $2.3 million in federal assistance to help eradicate the spotted lanternfly. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has identified the state's grapes, stone fruits and hardwood industries being the most threatened. Combined, they amount to about $12.2 billion annually in state revenue.
"If this pest breaches the quarantine area, it has the potential to move northward to the Lake Erie grape-growing region, where another 20,000 acres of grapes in New York State would be at risk," National Grape Cooperative Region Manager Robert Smith wrote, adding there are many food and habitat sources for the insect in the state. "The economic effects on the region could be devastating for both Pennsylvania and New York grape growers."
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the value of grape production in Pennsylvania in 2015 was $24.6 million.
source: heraldonline.com