CBP nets dangerous pest
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at International Falls, Minn., and Detroit are credited with discovering and stopping the entry of one of the world's most feared stored-product pests discovered in a railed container shipment carrying tile from China.
On May 20, CBP arranged for the shipment to be moved to a warehouse upon arrival in Detroit and conducted an intensive inspection of the container and its contents.
While initial reviews of the wood packing material revealed no signs of pests, suspicious CBP agricultural specialists used a broom to sweep up sawdust and residue within the container, and upon examining it, found a pest determined to be a Khapra beetle. This is the first reported interception of this pest in the Detroit rail environment, CBP said in a statement Monday.
CBP processed the shipment for delivery to its destination after U.S. Department of Agriculture had the cargo treated to ensure the elimination of the pest risk.
Khapra beetle is one of the 100 worst invasive species. 'Wheat, peanuts, barley, oats, corn and dried orange pulp are just a few of the items this pest destroys,' the agency said.