BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WCYB) — About 100 seniors from across Southwest Virginia spent the day enjoying food, games and fellowship at the Mountain Empire Older Citizens Organization’s annual summer picnic.

The event was held at Bullitt Park in Big Stone Gap and brought together seniors from seven congregate senior sites across several Southwest Virginia counties.

Attendees enjoyed a cookout, played yard games, tried their luck at bingo and caught up with friends.

Organizers said events like the annual picnic give seniors a chance to enjoy activities they may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.

“It’s exactly what the program is designed for,” MEOC Nutrition Director Kristen Rutherford said. “To add nutrition and education but also promote socialization and prevent loneliness for seniors. A big part of seniors’ lives is that they’re isolated a lot of times. I love it, especially the games that they’re playing. I love that because they’re getting exercise.”

Organizers said the summer picnic is one of two major events they host each year, along with a Christmas celebration.

Cyclosporiasis has been causing illness throughout the United States. As of July 7, the Virginia Department of Health is reporting 10 cases of Cyclosporiasis but is not currently investigating any local outbreaks, according to a press release from state health officials.

Cyclosporiasis is an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite called Cyclospora. 

Anyone can get cyclosporiasis.  It is more common in people who travel to tropical areas, but the infection can occur in many different countries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has received reports of 145 cases of cyclosporiasis acquired in the United States of people who became sick from May 1 through June 16.

The majority of cases and outbreaks are reported during the spring and summer months, although infections can occur year-round.  Most outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to imported fresh produce.  

Cyclosporiasis is not spread directly from person-to-person. Infected people pass Cyclospora in their feces, but this form of the parasite cannot make people sick. The parasite needs time in the environment to change into a form that can make people ill.  This form of the parasite then can infect someone by entering the body through the mouth, typically by eating or drinking something that is contaminated with Cyclospora.   

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(WSET) — If you haven’t spotted them yet, you probably will soon.

The peak of spotted lanternfly season is just beginning, and the heat isn’t stopping them. It may actually be speeding up their development.

Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Scott Baker says this year, the eggs began hatching roughly two weeks earlier than they did last year. He says this is because of some warmer-than-normal temperatures in the spring and summer months.

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The sooner lanternflies hatch, the sooner they progress through their stages of immaturity to adulthood, where they become the recognizable, winged adults.

That’s when you’re most likely to see them flying around in your backyard.

“So based on the temperatures that we have accumulated this year, people should begin to see the adults now, and then they will continue to see more and more adults, less of the immature stages,” Baker says. “And I would say by the end of July or early August, they’ll be seeing only adults”

Even though these pesky bugs are a nuisance, Baker says they don’t actually do that much damage.

When the invasive species first migrated south to Virginia around 2021, Baker says experts took more caution towards them. Now they appear to be less destructive, except to specific grapevine plants.

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Baker adds that other animals adapt by feeding on the lanternflies, which helps to control the population.

“The longer that the insect is in a particular area, the more we are seeing things start to feed on them, like other insects, spiders, birds,” Baker says. “I think Mother Nature, over time, will begin to help us regulate the population outside of what we can do, which is good news.”

If you have any concerns about handling your plants as these bugs hit peak season, agents at the Virginia Cooperative Extension are a free resource and happy to help.