The Chinese are Coming

Maryland's current spotted lanternfly quarantine, in yellow

Chinese Spotted Lanternfly, that is. Lancaster Farming, Maryland Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Expands Across State

Maryland has expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine in every corner of the state.

Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot and Wicomico counties on March 6 were swept into the infested zone, which now covers most of the state.

Adult Lanternfly

The only counties left outside the quarantine are in the far corners of the state — Garrett in the west, Charles and St. Mary’s in the south, and Dorchester, Somerset and Worcester on the Lower Shore.

Businesses operating in the quarantine must take free training for a permit to run vehicles or transport plant materials, stone and other outdoor items. Residents are encouraged to help contain the spread.

Spotted Lanternfly nymph

Maryland’s expansion is the latest acknowledgment of the spotted lanternfly’s habitat expansion since 2014, when it was discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

With recent zone updates, all of Delaware and New Jersey, and most of Pennsylvania, are under movement restrictions for the invasive pests.

 

Spotted Lanternfly egg mass

According to the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, the lanternfly is also established across Long Island, the Hudson Valley, southern New England, the Shenandoah Valley and scattered areas as far as Winston-Salem and suburban Detroit.

The lanternfly can cause severe damage to grape vines and feeds on the sap of many tree species. It hitchhikes readily on vehicles.

Our record for being able to stop the progress of an invasive species, whether it be the Japanese Beetle, the Chinese Northern Snakehead, or Ohio's Blue Catfish is spotless. We have never succeeded. You might have noticed they have wings (they also hitchhike). It's really only a matter of time. 

Think you have found spotted lanternfly in Maryland?​ Report it online here!​