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Insect Invaders: Getting Rid of Stinkbugs (Originally Broadcast 4/08/2011)

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Scientists are exploring how to get rid of stinkbugs, which are damaging farmers' crops across the mid-Atlantic region.
Scientists are exploring how to get rid of stinkbugs, which are damaging farmers' crops across the mid-Atlantic region.

Many Washingtonians have come to accept stinkbugs as a nuisance, a tiny brown bug that crawls out behind cracks and crevices in your walls at the turn of the seasons. But for farmers, these insects are more than just an annoyance. And now the USDA is experimenting to see if the invasive Asian species, which is resistant to pesticides, can be brought under control by importing its natural predator - a parasitic Asian wasp. Sabri Ben-Achour takes a look.

[Music: "Bug Out" by Oz Noy from Schizophrenic]

Photos: Stinkbugs

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.
NPR

In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial

Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.
NPR

Obama Group's Climate Push Puts President Under Scrutiny

Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline.
NPR

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

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