Willistown Postpones Spotted Lanternfly Meeting

WILLISTOWN, PA – A meeting on the dangerous, invasive insect the Spotted Lanternfly in Willistown that was set for Thursday has been postponed due to harsh winter weather.

The meeting will now be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 29 in the township building.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Forester Michael Panuschka will host a presentation on the insect in the township building, located at 688 Sugartown Road in Malvern.

Panuschka will discuss treatment of Spotted Lanternfly and its host tree: the tree of heaven.

According to officials, November and December are "critical months" for the insect that poses an extreme risk to agricultural industries in the state.

Contact Mary Hundt at (610) 647-5300, extension 224 with questions on the event.

Lycorma delicatula, AKA the Spotted Lanternfly, is a new invasive insect that has spread throughout southeastern Pennsylvania since its discovery in Berks County in 2014. They have recently been discovered in Chester County. The Spotted Lanternfly presents a significant threat to Pennsylvania agriculture, including the grape, tree-fruit, hardwood and nursery industries, which collectively are worth nearly $18 billion to the state's economy.

Spotted Lanternfly attacks fruit trees. It feeds on the sap in trunks, branches, twigs and leaves. As it digests the sap, the insect excretes a substance. There may be a buildup of the sticky fluid on infested plants and on the ground below. The sap also provides a medium for growth of fungi, such as sooty mold, which can cover leaf surfaces and stunt growth. Plants with heavy infestations may not survive.

Potentially at stake are Pennsylvania's grape, tree-fruit, hardwood, nursery and landscape industries, which generate agricultural crops and forest products worth nearly $18 billion annually. The insect also can cause damage to high-value ornamentals in home landscapes and can affect quality of life for residents.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued a quarantine for areas that have been confirmed to harbor the Spotted Lanternfly. The counties that have been quarantined are Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture advises that the Adult Spotted Lanternfly and nymphs can be mechanically destroyed, such as being swatted with a shoe. If you encounter an egg mass, they suggest scraping the mass into a bottle that can be sealed. If you cannot scrape the egg mass into a container, mechanically destroy it as best as possible. Check your car and any furniture before exiting a quarantine zone.

The species are known as "hitchhikers" and camouflage themselves in blankets and on cars. If moving furniture or wood out of quarantine, please make sure they are free of egg masses.

Image via Shutterstock