June 22, 2021 - Cheswick, PA
At Eichenlaub Inc. in Allegheny County, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Rick Roush, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Administrator Carlos Martinez provided an update on the state of spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania and the path to beating this invasive species.Eichenlaub Inc., a landscape business, is one of more than 26,000 businesses that have stepped up to the responsibility of holding a spotted lanternfly permit. While he hasn't seen spotted lanternfly on his properly, Dan Eichenlaub, president, has traps for the bad bug around his property and maintains vigilance with inspections to ensure they're not contributing to the spread of spotted lanternfly to new areas of the state or nation."The spotted lanternfly is the worst bug in the commonwealth and capable of causing real damage to Pennsylvania's $132.5 billion agriculture industry," said Redding. "Over the past seven years, we've seen lanternfly travel from east to west in the commonwealth. We've seen vineyards devastated. It's invasive environmentally, socially, and economically."But there is good news: Pennsylvania is home to 12.8 million people who are part of the solution. Working together, we can slow the spread. Working together, we can stomp out the threats of this invasive pest," added Redding.
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