The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists managed to intercept a shipment containing a longhorn beetle on Tuesday.
The event marks the first recorded instance of that particular species of beetle to enter the United States. After properly fumigating and securing the pineapple shipment in which the beetle was found, CBP transferred the beetle into the USDA’s custody.
Experts from the USDA identified the beetle as a member of the Ayriclytus macilentus branch of the Cerambycidae family, which are known to inhabit Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia and Costa Rica.
This species of beetle has been categorized by the USDA as a significant threat to coniferous and deciduous forests and kills live trees.
“Intercepting destructive insect invaders at our nation’s borders, and before they can threaten our agriculture industries, is of paramount importance to Customs and Border Protection,” CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia Susan Stranieri said. “CBP agriculture specialists take their job very serious, and recording these ‘first in nation’ insect interceptions are significant discoveries.”
CBP officials originally discovered the beetle on Jan. 29 in a container of approximately 1,575 cases of fresh Costa Rican pineapples.