COLUMBUS (AP) — State officials say an invasive hemlock-killing insect has been found recently in three Ohio counties.

Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture say that the hemlock woolly adelgid has been found in Lake and Geauga counties in northeast Ohio and in Athens County in southeast Ohio.

The small, aphid-like insect native to Asia threatens two hemlock species in the eastern United States, where it was first reported in 1951 near Richmond, Virginia. Officials say it’s now established in parts of 20 states.

The pest was first detected in Ohio in 2012.

State officials say Lake, Geauga and Athens counties will be included in Ohio’s hemlock quarantine. That restricts movement of hemlock materials from infested counties into non-infested counties, among other requirements.