BRADFORD CO., N.Y. (WENY) -- Pennsylvania state officials announced on Friday, April 4th, that Bradford County is one of four counties being added to the state's Spotted Lanternfly quarantine. Bradford County was included in the list after a population of the invasive insect were confirmed in the county, and now county residents are being asked to take action. 

"As you clean up your yard or just enjoy beautiful Pennsylvania spring days, you can help keep lanternflies from becoming a summer nuisance and harming our valuable grape and nursery industries," Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said, adding, "Every spotted lanternfly egg mass you scrape and squash is 30-50 damage-causing insects that won’t hatch in May.”

The lanternfly quarantine means no one can move lanternflies at any stage of life. That includes potentially, infested items like firewood, brush, and other debris. 

Along with Bradford County, Sullivan, Venango, and Wyoming Counties were also added to the list. Spotted Lanternflies were first discovered in the United States in Bucks County back in 2014, and have been spreading ever since. 

Experts say they have hitched rides across the region, mostly using unsuspecting vehicles. While not directly dangerous to humans, Spotted Lanternflies can wreck havoc on produce farms, with grape growers considered especially vulnerable to infestations. 

Going forward, Governor Josh Shapiro has included multiple multi-million dollars proposals for the 25/26 budget to combat the insect. That includes establishing a Rapid Response and Disaster Readiness fund, and the purchase and training of a second lanternfly detection dog. 

“The Shapiro Administration is committed to protecting and preserving the tremendous value agriculture brings to our economy and our daily lives,” Redding said, adding, “Funding research to develop safe, innovative pest control methods, monitoring and treating destructive pests like lanternflies aggressively, and fostering strategic partnerships between government and industry are all critical tools Pennsylvania has invested in to continue to control this destructive pest.”