The Maryland Department of Agriculture says the state has seen the first hatch of a spotted lanternfly this year and is encouraging residents to keep an eye out for the invasive species.
In a news release Thursday, the department wrote that the “first instar nymph of the season was reported by a department employee while surveying for the pest in the upper northeast corner of Cecil County near the Pennsylvania border.”
“The spotted lanternfly poses a major threat to the region’s agricultural industries as it feeds on over 70 different types of plants and crops — including grapes, hops, apples, peaches, oak, pine, and many others,” the department wrote, adding that the pest is seen throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Cecil and Harford counties have been in a “quarantine zone” since October 2019, the department wrote, to control the spread of the bug to other parts of the state. Any business that wants to move regulated items within or from quarantine zones must have a permit to do so, the department wrote.
Anyone who suspects they’ve found a hatched spotted lanternfly or their eggs is encouraged to “snap a picture of it and then smash it” while reporting the potential infestation to dontbug.md@maryland.gov.
