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Kudzu Bug Invades Sussex County

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There’s an invasive bug -- the kudzu bug -- that has descended on the soybean crop in Sussex County.

It comes from Asia and has spread throughout the South in the last few years.

The bug has left damaged crops behind in its wake.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture says that the first of the bugs was spotted in a crop of pole lima beans.

And, state officials are encouraging vegetable growers to report suspected infestations.

Ed Kee, the state’s Secretary of Agriculture, told the Wilmington News Journal that it is not a crisis, yet.

The Kudzu bug first showed up in the United States four years ago but has been more of a nuisance and it is easy to kill with pesticides.

(See: Wilmington News Journal)

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.