Tag Archives: Customs and Border Protection

CBP Stops Destructive Insects

By David Arnett

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Detroit Metropolitan Airport intercepted a first-in-nation batch of potentially destructive giant scale insects earlier this year. The approximately 5-mm-long insects—dark in color and covered by waxy, light-colored protrusions—were found feeding on the surface of fresh pine bark brought in for medicinal purposes during a routine baggage examination of a passenger in transit from the Central Africa nation of Cameroon to Illinois.

Local CBP and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials tentatively identified the tiny pests as a type of giant scale in February. The USDA later confirmed on Aug. 7 that the insects belonged to the Aspidoproctus species. Records indicate this was the first time the species had been encountered at a U.S. port of entry. Photo provided.
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