Maryland Quarantine for Spotted Lanternfly
The invasive pest known as the spotted lanternfly — which can devour crops like grapes and hops and devastate maple and walnut trees — continues to spread and state officials have expanded a quarantine zone for 2023.
Last year, the quarantine included 10 counties plus the city of Baltimore.
On Monday, the Maryland Department of Agriculture expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine to include a total of 17 counties and the city of Baltimore. Those jurisdictions are: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico counties, as well as Baltimore City.
The quarantine is effective immediately, and restricts the movement of regulated materials that might contain the spotted lanternfly in any of its life stages, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults.
“The spotted lanternfly continues to be a destructive invasive species that has negatively impacted agriculture operations throughout the mid-Atlantic region,” said MDA Secretary Kevin Atticks in a news release. “The department continues to take steps to expand the quarantine zone out of an abundance of caution as we remain vigilant in controlling the spread of this destructive insect.”
Read more here: Gaithersburg Patch
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