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The pests include a first-in-port find of Caprhiobia sp. (Lygaeidae), a destructive plant bug, and Oxycarenus maculatus, or the Protea seed bug, which has not been seen in the area since 1984, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The bugs were discovered in an October shipment of 188 protea and chamelaucium cut-stem flowers destined for King George County, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Specialists immediately secured the specimens and sent them to USDA entomologists for identification.
“Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists remain steadfast on our nation’s frontline protecting our natural and agricultural resources from invasive pests and plants, and from animal and plant diseases that could cripple our nation’s economy,” Marc Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for Washington, DC stated.
The Caprhiobia sp. bug, native to South Africa, has a voracious appetite for vegetation and is capable of causing widespread crop damage. USDA officials confirmed this was the first time it had been intercepted at the port.
The Oxycarenus maculatus seed bug poses a similarly severe threat. Known to devastate crops such as cotton, grains, and vegetables, it hadn’t been recorded in the region for 40 years, officials said.
CBP specialists routinely inspect imported flowers to prevent such pests from infiltrating the US and potentially devastating industries like farming and forestry.
During a typical day last year, officials say CBP agriculture specialists across the nation seized 3,287 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 231 insect pests at US ports of entry.
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