Submitted by Dr Helen Anne Curry on Fri, 26/07/2024 - 00:00
In a new article, Wellcome funded doctoral student Erinn E. Campbell introduces readers to Pestina, a "bug girl" who served as the USDA's mascot for cross-broder plant pest awareness in the mid 20th century. As Campbell's analysis reveals, Pestina – once described by the agency as "coquettish, hitchhiking bug" – reveals as much about anxieties over immigration and women's sexuality as it does about plant pest management. Read on, and appreciate the rich visual materials that Campbell has uncovered, in the July 2024 issue of Environmental History: "'A Coquettish, Hitchhiking Bug': The Rise and Fall of Pestina, Symbol of Invasive Pests and Agricultural Quarantine."
