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What you need to know about Japanese beetles on the Western Slope

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Adult Japanese Beetle on a rose.
Melissa Schreiner

Over the summer, the invasive Japanese Beetle was detected in Grand Junction. The adult beetle feeds on more than 300 species of plants including those that are a major part of Western Slope's agricultural economy such as sweet corn, peaches, and grapes. The invasive insect already plagues some communities on the Front Range. For KVNF, Laura Palmisano interviews Rich Guggenheim, Plant Health Certification Program Manager for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Laura joined KVNF in 2014. She was the news director for two years and now works as a freelance reporter covering Colorado's Western Slope. Laura is an award-winning journalist with work recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Broadcasters Association, and RTDNA. In 2015, she was a fellow for the Institute for Justice & Journalism. Her fellowship project, a three-part series on the Karen refugee community in Delta, Colorado, received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award.