Lebanon County no longer the western edge of Spotted Lanternfly extension

The Spotted Lanternfly quarantine has been expanded to include Dauphin County. Previously Lebanon County marked the western edge of the quarantine zone.

This is the first time the map has been expanded since 2017.

If you move vehicles or products within Lebanon County, you or a designated employee must complete an online training by May 1 in order to receive a Spotted Lanternfly Permit.

Penn State Extension is running the free online course required to obtain a permit.

This is the second year that the state has required businesses in Lebanon County to obtain a Spotted Lanternfly Permit if they meet the above conditions. Lebanon County was added to the quarantine zone in November.

Although the state has said that it will conduct intermittent compliance checks, it is not clear what the fine structure is for failing to comply, nor is it clear how the fines would be assessed, according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Reading Eagle named the Spotted Lanternfly its newsmaker of the year for 2018.

This past September, Fort Indiantown Gap hosted a training session to help educate people on how to combat the invasive bug. Lebanon is the western front of the spread to date.

Other counties affected include Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill. Businesses that operate in these counties are required to obtain a permit as well.

Although we are a few months off from the season beginning, here are some options to keep in mind when you see a spotted lanternfly.

Destroy any eggs

If you see egg masses, scrape them off, double bag them and throw them away. You can also place the eggs into alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them. The State has a site to report any destroyed eggs.

Take a picture

Send your snapshots to Badbug@pa.gov.

Report a site

If you can’t take a specimen or photograph, call the Spotted Lanternfly hotline at 1-888-4BAD-FLY (1-888-422-3359) with information regarding your sighting. The hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 8am to 7pm.