A shipment of malangas — a starchy root vegetable common in South America — from Mexico to Florida’s Port Manatee was found to contain a rare, aggressive and highly destructive type of New World army ant known as Eciton.
The discovery, made in June, was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists. It was a first for Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and one that, left unchecked, could have brought potential devastation to local ecosystems.
“CBP agriculture specialists are the first line of defense and this is just the latest example of how teams of teams across Florida safeguard American agriculture,” Area Port Director Radames Torres said.“The introduction of certain pests can potentially devastate portions of American agriculture and why CBP agriculture specialists are ever-vigilant searching continuously for harmful pests and plant diseases.”
CBP noted that its agriculture specialists intercept tens of thousands of potentially dangerous pests in shipments each year. Last year, CBP agents intercepted around 319 pests at U.S. ports of entry and quarantined more than 4,500 plant, meat, animal byproduct, and soil materials daily.