I'm currently the Business and Agriculture Reporter at a daily newspaper - The News Leader in Staunton, Virginia. Prior to joining The News Leader I worked at a weekly paper for almost two years - The Loudoun Times-Mirror. I'm interested in writing on hard-hitting issues, features and anything that is going on in my community. I love to travel and write about my experiences and I hope to visit every state and state park someday. My days mostly conclude enjoying and curling up with a good book and a record playing, with my cat Thea. My blog is updated weekly with stories from the previous week. Check NewsLeader.com to follow current stories I've written.
Recent Posts
May 24, 2011
May 20, 2011
May 11, 2011
May 4, 2011
May 1, 2011
Flash flooding in Loudoun County forces road closures
After the storm hit late last night and early this morning, many roads in Loudoun County are now closed. New Valley Church Road in Lucketts is closed from Route 15 to Stumptown Road. Edwards Ferry Road between Battlefield Parkway and Red Rock Way was closed due to high water and is now opened.
Attack of the stink bugs; Congressman Wolf holds forum about stink bug infestation
In Purcellville, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-10th) held a forum Monday, April 18 at Woodgrove High School about the brown marmorated stink bug that are fast and steadily invading our land and affecting our crops.
Dr. Tracy Leskey, a research entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture spoke about the data she’s gathered with her research team, which involves trapping stink bugs.
Dr. Christopher Bergh, a Virginia Tech associate professor of entomology at the Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Winchester spoke about different insecticides that could possible be used to manage the problem. One point he brought up, is that with each of the different insecticides, diligence is key, and water, much like the rain we had over the past weekend will wash away what ever application you put on crops.
Loudoun County has been hit hard by stink bugs with the exorbitant amount of apple and peach farms in the county as well as vineyards. When stink bugs attack the crops, the damage they produce may not even be seen until the crops are harvested.
But, as most of the audience was leaving the forum, they felt like things were still left unanswered.
‘I think the jury is still out in regards of what to do,” Eugene Scheel, a resident of Loudoun County said. “[For] the majority of the people here, considering…those questions were not answered.”
Leskey also brought up a type of wasp from Asia that can be used to battle the stink bug, but the research on it is still two years in the making.
The problem-solving techniques brought up in the forum, like the insecticide Dinotefuran, are still being approved by the FDA or still in prototype phases. Leskey said that there will be at least two generations of stink bugs produced from this years crop cycle, and the ones that are in your house now, are trying to get out to mate.