The spotted lanternfly, first observed in Pennsylvania in 2014, continues to pose a threat to the state’s economy and farmers.

Pennsylvania orchard owners are already beginning to experience “significant” losses, said state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Shannon Powers. She was unable to quantify the extent of those losses on Tuesday.

The invasive insect could wipe out about $18 million of the state’s wine, hardwood and fruit industries as the fly consumes fruit trees and makes them vulnerable to disease. As an indication of that, when the spotted lanternfly first entered South Korea, it overtook the entire country in under a year.

Since Pennsylvania is considered ground zero for this infestation, it has the responsibility of keeping it from spreading across the nation.

“This is a team effort and all hands are on deck,” Wolf said Tuesday on the property of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 13 headquarters in Swatara Township where the pest has been spotted. “[We are] committed to protecting Pennsylvania’s agricultural products, preserving our quality of life, and keeping commerce flowing here in the commonwealth.”

Those efforts have managed so far to keep the pest contained to just 14 of the state’s 67 counties.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, who also was on hand at the news conference, called on citizens to do their part to protect against the spotted lanternfly.

“It’s important that Pennsylvanians remember that they play a significant role in this fight,” Redding said.

The lanternfly doesn’t bite or sting humans so it physically can’t be harmful. But it spreads easily simply by attaching itself to a grill or lawnmower moved into another county, according to the department.

In May, the department introduced the spotted lanternfly permit system to train businesses and employees on recognizing the life stages of the pest. Since then, the department has issued more than 900,000 permits to businesses that travel in and out of the 14 infected counties - which include Dauphin and Lebanon.

Business without a permit that do work in this quarantined area cannot transport items such as firewood, lawn waste or outdoor furniture outside those counties.

Homeowners are also urged to arm their property with insecticides and band infested tree trunks with tape. Redding said a fly swatter works too. He added that killing even one lanternfly now could reduce next year’s population by about 50.

The state government is also ramping up resources to take on the spotted lanternfly. An additional $1.5 million was included in the 2019-20 budget to combat the fly for a total of $3 million. This is the second year for the state to invest money in the detection, control and eradication of this pest.

This year, Pennsylvania State University and the state and federal departments of agriculture teamed up to study the best ways to stop the insects and prepare awareness materials for home and business owners. The state and federal departments of agriculture are also scouting and treating high-risk areas after receiving reports of spotted lanternfly sightings.

“This is a serious problem, but we can do something about it and we need your help,” Wolf said.

More information about the spotted lanternfly can be found on the department’s website.

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