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EPA Grants Temporary Pesticide Use For Stink Bug Emergency

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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.

NPR

Dan Brown: 'Inferno' Is 'The Book That I Would Want To Read'

Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.
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'Picture Cook': Drawings Are The Key Ingredients In These Recipes

Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.
WAMU 88.5

Ken Cuccinelli Wins GOP Nomination For Virginia Governor

Virginia's attorney general Ken Cuccinelli will face former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe in November to become Virginia's 72nd governor.

NPR

Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes

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