What to Know
- Though the Lanternfly doesn’t stay around during the winter, its eggs are sustainable for months, which is why they must be dealt with now.
- State officials fear the bug could cause heavy damage to the state’s prominent grape and wine industries.
- The PDA stresses that the egg masses be scraped off their surface, double-bagged, and thrown away.
The time is now to prevent the spread of the lanternfly, the nuisance first spotted in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Though the pesky insect doesn’t stay around during the winter, its eggs are sustainable from October to July. Not only does the bug cause severe damage to trees, but it may also affect agricultural industires throughout the state.
"The spotted lanternfly is an invasive pest that state officials worry could damage the state's important grape and wine industries," an official from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) said.
The new egg masses have a grey, mud-like covering which appears dry and cracked over time. Older eggs appear in what looks like brown seeds dispersed into 30 to 50 rows. These older eggs are grouped in inch-long columns on the trunks of trees.
In order to take immediate action against the spread of the lanternfly, the PDA stresses that these egg masses be scraped off their surface, double-bagged, and thrown away. Other defensive strategies include placing the eggs into alcohol or hand sanitizer, which is an effective way to kill them.
The PDA encourages locals to submit samples, photographs, and reports of any information concerning the lanternfly, as they wish to provide any help in ending the spread of the insect.
