The Burlington County Parks System is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to hold five upcoming volunteer egg scraping sessions at various County parks. Last year, volunteers helped destroy more than 500 spotted lanternfly egg masses in County parks, preventing more than 25,000 of the bugs from hatching. Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Dan O’Connell (second from left) was one of the volunteers at a session at Amico Island Park in Delran last winter.
Burlington County continues to battle against the spotted lanternfly invasion and is seeking volunteers to help beat back the bugs this winter while they are at their most vulnerable stage.
The Burlington County Parks System is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to hold five upcoming volunteer egg scraping sessions at various county parks. The events are part of the county’s strategy to try to control damages from the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect from Asia with an appetite for fruit trees, ornamental trees, woody trees, vegetables, herbs, grapes and vines.
During the scraping sessions, volunteers will learn from parks staff and USDA specialists on how to easily identify and destroy the eggs of these pesky bugs. They’ll then use those skills to seek out hidden egg masses in the park. Scraping tools will be provided.
The upcoming volunteer scraping sessions will be held from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the following locations:
- Jan. 27 at Amico Island Park, 81 Norman Avenue, Delran
- Feb. 9 at Amico Island Park, 81 Norman Avenue, Delran
- Feb. 17 at Pennington Park, 801 Creek Road, Delanco
- Feb. 28 at Pennington Park, 801 Creek Road, Delanco.
Registration is required and can be done online at https://rb.gy/f3vgrh.
