vector borne disease control program
Prevention is the best way to guard against insect related diseases.
Vector Borne Disease Control Program
Lehigh County has been conducting mosquito surveillance and control in association with the PA Department of Environmental Protection since 2000.
Spotted Lanternfly Control
This is a large task that requires a community effort from everyone in Lehigh County! With your help we can work to eradicate the Spotted Lanternfly.
Vector Borne Disease Control Program
Lehigh County has been conducting mosquito surveillance and control in association with the PA Department of Environmental Protection since 2000 when West Nile virus was first detected in Pennsylvania. LCCD works closely with municipalities and county agencies to protect the public health using Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) principles. We have a strong focus on education and habitat reduction. Mosquitoes are field collected with site specific traps and sent to the DEP Lab in Harrisburg for testing. If the virus is detected, appropriate measures are taken to reduce insect populations and lower the risk of disease transmission to the public.
The DEP West Nile website explains IMM and details steps homeowners can take to eliminate mosquitoes.
LCCD is also engaged in collaborative partnership with DEP to collect and test several species of ticks in public use areas. The goal is to determine the abundance, density and infection rate in ticks for several tick-borne diseases. This data will help inform the medical community in clinical decisions when patients present with tick bites
Repellents are effective at preventing mosquito and tick bites. Not all products provide the same level of protection. The EPA has an interactive site to determine which products are best for you and your family.
Prevention is the best way to guard against insect related diseases.
Get Outdoors PA Brochure
mosquito breeding sites
Spotted Lanternfly
As mitigation efforts continue for spotted lanternfly, we know that the combination of egg mass scraping, tree banding for nymphs, and the use of insecticidal soaps and botanical neem oils are all very important first steps for the control of the spotted lanternfly. We encourage residents to focus vigilantly on these efforts while the insects are in their early stages. This is a large task that requires a community effort from everyone in Lehigh County! With your help we can work to eradicate the Spotted Lanternfly.
This is a large task that requires a community effort from everyone in Lehigh County! With your help we can work to eradicate the Spotted Lanternfly.
Permitting Information
On May 1st, 2019 it became mandatory for all commercial vehicles traveling within or out of the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone to have a travel permit.
PDA along with the Pennsylvania State police will be conducting checks on commercial vehicles traveling within this zone. The travel permit indicates that your employees have been trained to conduct vehicle inspections before and after traveling. The permitting process is free of charge and can be accessed by clicking on the following link below.
If you have questions about the permits or the permitting process, email the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: slfpermit@pa.gov
The Spotted Lanternfly Citizen Science Banding Project
Neighborhood communities are making banding efforts most effective by joining together and banding as many infested trees as possible in a given community.
To learn more about starting a community banding effort in your neighborhood, please watch the video below.