Podcast: Play in new window | Download
With the days of freezing temperatures all but over until the fall, it’s time for all those insects to start showing back up again. And recently, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture announced a new state entomologist has been named – longtime department employee, Cindy Bilbrey.
Lee Maddox: The Bugs are Back. Welcome and hello again everyone, for Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I’m Lee Maddox.
Cindy Bilbrey: Some bug problems are only a problem on plants, however, some also affect just the general public.
Lee Maddox: With the days of freezing temperatures all but over until the fall, it’s time for all those insects to start showing back up again. And recently, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture announced a new state entomologist has been named – longtime department employee, Cindy Bilbrey.
Cindy Bilbrey: I’ve been working for the department of agriculture since 1999 as a plant inspector, going out and doing those inspections with the growers and landscapers and florists, and I’ve worked all throughout Middle Tennessee. As the entomologist, I’ll be expanding my area into East and West Tennessee as well.
Lee Maddox: Cindy Bilbrey has spent most of her career working with nursery and greenhouse growers, plant dealers and hemp producers when it comes to issues with insects and ensuring overall plant certification. And that’s vital for those employed in the state’s horticultural industry.
Cindy Bilbrey: We are doing a lot of trapping for invasive species and trying to help make sure that our environment is healthy and that their plant material can be shipped wherever it needs.
Lee Maddox: Tennessee plant products are shipped around the country and across the globe, and Bilbrey says she’s excited to take on the role of state entomologist and is hopeful that Tennessee plants and plant material remain healthy and free of invasive pests so that commerce in the US and abroad continues.
Cindy Bilbrey: I’m very excited to be in the role and I’ve mentored under Steve Powell, who was the previous entomologist for 30 something years, and I’m glad to be in this position and hopefully I can do as good a job as he did.
Lee Maddox: Cindy Bilbrey – Tennessee State Entomologist. For Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I’m Lee Maddox.
