Per recently issued notice, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) will expand the spotted lanternfly quarantine in early July to the following cities and counties: Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Manassas, Staunton, Waynesboro, Albemarle, Augusta, Carroll, Page, Prince William, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, and Wythe. The current quarantine rules only apply to City of Winchester and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, and Warren. This map shows both current and expanded areas under the quarantine.
The spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive insect pest that was discovered in Frederick County in January 2018 and at that time, it was just the second known detection of the spotted lanternfly in the U.S. The first occurrence of spotted lanternfly in the U.S. occurred in Pennsylvania in 2014. SLF is a native insect of Asia and prefers feeding on Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), but will also feed on grapes, peaches, apples, maples, walnuts, hops, cucumbers, and basil.
The quarantine requires a permit to ensure that businesses are taking steps to guarantee regulated articles are free from spotted lanternfly (see Regulations for Enforcement of the Virginia Tree and Crop Pests Law – Spotted). To obtain a spotted lanternfly permit,
completion of an online training course is required, and businesses must then apply for the permit with VDACS. Information on where to take the training, how to obtain a permit, and additional permitting steps can be found at this webpage.
VACo Contact: Joe Lerch, AICP