WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

EPA Grants Temporary Pesticide Use For Stink Bug Emergency

By: Sabri Ben-Achour // June 30, 2011
Play associated audio
comments
Brown marmorated stink bugs have been destroying crops, so the EPA is temporarily expanding pesticide use to fight them.
Sabri Ben-Achour
Brown marmorated stink bugs have been destroying crops, so the EPA is temporarily expanding pesticide use to fight them.

Seven states, including Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, had asked the EPA if they could use a pesticide called dinotefuran on peaches, apples and pears. It's already used on some crops including grapes.

Researchers say it's not a silver bullet, but it's the best shot they have right now at controlling the brown marmorated stink bug. The stink bugs are native to Asia but were introduced in Pennsylvania in the '90s and have been growing in number here. The insects caused an estimated $37 million in damage to Virginia's apple crop in 2010.

The pesticide is toxic to bees, and farmers are asked to apply it after bees have finished pollinating orchards. The EPA's temporary approval of the pesticide expires in October.

Related Links

Arts & Culture

NPR

A Read Down Memory Lane: Lessons From Your Former Self

Writings from childhood — cards, stories and other notes — can hide for decades, like time capsules tucked away in boxes, old bedrooms, attics and journals. Writer Jim Sollisch talks about how old thank you notes from his youth foreshadowed his adult life.

Food

NPR

Inside A Tart Cherry Revival: 'Somebody Needs To Do This!'

The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.

Politics

NPR

Srinivasan's Confirmation First For D.C. Circuit In 7 Years

The partisan war over judicial nominees has accelerated in recent years. It took nearly a year to win Senate confirmation for Sri Srinivasan to the important federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, though he had no formal opposition.

Technology

NPR

3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway

A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.