Baltimore, meet the weevil.
Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists here recently confirmed that the Dec. 15 interception of an Aulacobaris coerulescens — a type of snout beetle or weevil — is the first in U.S. history, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s pest identifier database.
The weevil was found in a shipping container of Italian ceramic tiles that arrived at the Baltimore seaport, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Officials described the weevil as a “quarantine significant pest” that has the potential to “cause extensive economical damage” to plant and horticultural industries.
The same day, customs seized another rare bug — a Paromius seed bug, the first time it’s been seized by authorities here. The Paromius seed bug also was detected in a shipment of Italian ceramic tiles, officials said.
“CBP agriculture specialists take their jobs of protecting American agriculture very seriously and each pest interception is a little victory of sorts,” James Swanson, customs and border protection director for the Port of Baltimore, said in a statement. “But a first in nation discovery brings equal parts celebration and concern. Just like any scientist or explorer, it’s always a career milestone to be the first CBP agriculture specialist to discover something unique, but at the same time we realize that we have to remain vigilant in order to prevent these types of foreign plant pests from being introduced into the United States.”
Customs issued an Emergency Action Notification and the shipments were fumigated to eradicate further threat, officials said.
On an average day, across the country, the agency’s agricultural specialists seize 4,125 prohibited meat, plant materials or animal products, including 435 insect pests, according to a statement.
