How Stokes County Extension Is Adapting to COVID-19!

— Written By Bryan Hartman
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

N.C. Cooperative Extension logoCOVID-19 continues to impact and disrupt our everyday lives; however, North Carolina Cooperative Extension is still here to serve you. I wanted to share my experience as an Extension agent in Stokes County NC while continuing to work for the citizens of Stokes County throughout COVID-19. Below is a recent encounter with a homeowner requesting assistance with identifying an insect. A Stokes County resident called the Extension office asking for help identifying caterpillars that were eating their blueberry plant. I encouraged the homeowner to bring the caterpillar by the office for identification. North Carolina Cooperative Extension is still open to help our communities and producers across the state during COVID-19. The Stokes County office is open with staff working remotely on a rotating basis. While we are limiting our face-to-face interactions as much as possible, we are still here to help community members with questions or problems. 

Lucky for this homeowner, it was my day in the office. As the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent, I work in the area of Small Farms and Horticulture. So naturally, I was the person for the job! Where possible, we are trying to answer your questions through phone calls, video calling, or email; however, sometimes questions are more easily addressed in person – like caterpillar identification! For this homeowner, we agreed on a time for them to come to the office to drop the caterpillars off. Just like this homeowner, we are encouraging the public to follow our safety guidelines posted at the front of the building and wear a mask when in our office. The homeowner brought not just one caterpillar, but about 50 very hungry caterpillars for identification! With the help of my digital microscope and the NC State University CE database, I was able to successfully identify the blueberry plant-eating culprit!

The yellownecked caterpillar, Datana ministra, is one of the most frequently reported pests of oaks, birches, and other hardwoods. This insect can also be found on blueberry, apple, and other fruit trees .. Learn more about these caterpillars from this extension fact sheet: “Yellownecked Caterpillar in the Landscape” from NC State Extension. 

yellownecked caterpillars

A mature yellownecked caterpillars on a blueberry plant.
Photo by Bryan Hartman, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Agent

While we may be limiting our face to face interactions with the public our ability to provide services to the residents of Stokes County has not changed. What has changed is the way in which some of our services are provided. Our agents remain available through phone and email to better serve you. 

For more information, contact Bryan Hartman, Agriculture and Natural Resources agent at bkhartman@ncat.edu.