U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Washington-Dulles International Airport might have saved U.S. agriculture from a crop devouring insect.
The small, winged bug, which comes from the Miridae family, was found on 110 cut stem Calla lillies from Kenya and 90 from the Netherlands. It’s the first time this particular species of Miridae has been found in the United States.
“We know insects in the Miridae family generally have a voracious appetite,” said Christopher Hess, CBP port director for the Port of Washington, D.C. “The introduction of this insect pest could have a profound impact on American agriculture industries.”
The flowers, and the bugs on them, were found April 20 and destroyed by steam sterilization within days, a CBP spokesman said Thursday.
— Freeman Klopott
