PA requiring permit for beetles - effective May 2019

They look cute... I heard that they were brought from China....
I am not sure I would kill them.... I only kill bugs that bother me, or that are nasty disgusting that spread disease... this one... even though it can destroy crops... hmmmm.... I don't know yet....

 

Flamethrower lol .

 

One of the crops it targets in this region is hops .... that's used to make beer. More bugs = more expensive beer.

 

Okay, so since I've been hearing about this quite a lot (we're at ground zero and there are many farms around here.) I'll try to fill in as best I can.

They don't bite or sting, what they do is defacate. They find some tree or organic matter they find tasty, eat it, then do their business. Something in their waste then becomes an invasive bacteria, poisons the plant, plants begin to form a black fungus that kills the plant.

Obviously this also affects edible crops too. Rendering them non food grade. Farmers around here are freaking out and the dirty little secret is they may already be migrating to other areas as trucking is a major industry in eastern PA.

I've seen infestations at both a local Penske and Ryder repair shop. It's possible there are hundreds of trailers carrying these critters. So in the next month or so keep an eye out for the nymphs and kill them if you see them.

 

I took my online training today and am now a sworn soldier in the lantern fly war .
Now I will have something to do when I'm in Manchester pa unloading...and will gaurd south Jersey to the death ! By any means available .