A Pennsylvania county's battle continues against a tiny insect that has caused big worries as officials look to stop the spread of the colorful pest.
Officials first called for a quarantine in Berks County to contain the Spotted Lanternfly last year.
On Thursday, officials revealed that more than 20,000 Lanternfly have been terminated and that some egg masses were destroyed before hatching.
The Spotted Lanternfly, a red-and-white and spotted winged insect indigenous to parts of Asia, which feeds on grapes, apples, pines, stone fruits and more than 70 additional species continues to be spotted in Berks County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
“Berks County is the front line in the war against Spotted Lanternfly,” said Agriculture Secretary George Greig back in November.
County, state and federals groups have teamed up to get the insect -- which measures about 1-inch long as an adult.
"Working together, we successfully eradicated plum pox from the state, and now we're bringing that same cooperation and resolve to the fight against the Spotted Lanternfly," said APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea.
The Department of Agriculture has put $1.4 million into fighting the insect including putting up tree bands and hiring survey crews. The state put another $1.5 million toward the cause in hopes of protecting the area's grape, apple, stone fruit and logging industries.
The hope is to stop the insect from attacking cash crops in the county.
The Lanternfly, aka Lycorma delicatula, has no natural enemies and can only be controlled using pesticides that may also kill off the natural enemies of other pests, according to a report mentioned by KPBS.
The Spotted Lanternfly can lay 30 to 50 eggs at a time to the bark of a tree -- the pest especially likes the Tree of Heaven and other smooth bark trees -- leaving a gray, waxy, mudlike coating that looks like gray or black sap dripping down the tree once the eggs hatch, according to the agriculture officials.
Photo Credit: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
