US: Laternfly fruit pest sweeps across Pennsylvania

The spotted lanternfly which consumes grapevines, apple trees, stone fruit trees, and pine trees, along with the potential to destroy ecosystems, has been officially spotted in Montgomery County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

It’s serious enough that a “quarantine” has been implemented in several townships in Montgomery County, and a few in Bucks County as well, officials said.

Any business that stores products outside must first be approved by an inspector from the state department of agriculture.

That includes not just firewood and organic material, but companies that showcase items on patios or sidewalks or parking lots, like hardware stores, supermarkets, and car dealers.

The ”quarantined” locations are in Upper Hanover, Red Hill, Pennsburg, and East Greenville in Montgomery County.

In Bucks County, the edict affects Milford Township and Trumbauersville, according to officials.

Over the summer, the lanternfly was spotted throughout the state, including Berks county, just a mile from the border with Montgomery County.

The lanternfly is a native to the Asian countries of China, Indian, Japan, and Vietnam. It has done invasive damage to Korea, where officials say it has attacked 25 plant species that also grow in Pennsylvania.

Source: patch.com