Spotted lanternfly back in Ohio, Hamilton County placed under quarantine by ag. department
By Fletcher Keel
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CINCINNATI (WLWT) — At least 18 counties in Ohio, including Hamilton County, are under quarantine as the spotted lanternfly reaches its peak visibility.
Under quarantine, plants and trees in the county should be inspected before being shipped out of the area.
The insects are currently in their fully grown and most visible stages and they’re spreading rapidly.
Spotted lanternflies have black spots and vibrant red under-wings. They’re not a danger to people but they can stress trees and kill some garden vegetables.
“They’re not going to fly at you,” Joe Boggs, an entomologist with the OSU Extension in Hamilton County, told WLWT earlier this year. “But just the sheer numbers make them a nuisance pest.”
Officials encourage you to squash them and their eggs, and report them.
Experts in Ohio discourage using pesticides, saying it kills other pests that could eat them.
The lanternflies will likely be around through late November.
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