This Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, photo shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. The spotted lanternfly has emerged as a serious pest since the federal government confirmed its arrival in southeastern Pennsylvania five years ago this week.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
This Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, photo shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. The spotted lanternfly has emerged as a serious pest since the federal government confirmed its arrival in southeastern Pennsylvania five years ago this week.
(State College) — A large, colorful pest from Asia is costing the Pennsylvania economy about $50 million and eliminating nearly 500 jobs each year.
That’s according to a Penn State study released Thursday.
The study represents researchers’ first attempt to quantify the destruction caused by the spotted lanternfly.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
In this Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, photo, Heather Leach, an entomologist who does lanternfly outreach at Penn State Extension inspect grape vines in Kutztown, Pa. The spotted lanternfly has emerged as a serious pest since the federal government confirmed its arrival in southeastern Pennsylvania five years ago this week.
It was first detected in the U.S. in 2014, in Berks County. It’s since overrun the state’s southeastern corner including Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. It has also spread into nearby states including New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia.
Penn State economists estimated the financial impact on industries most susceptible to spotted lanternfly, including nurseries, vineyards, Christmas tree growers and hardwood producers.
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