CBP INTERCEPTS HARMFUL PESTS FROM ENTERING US. BORDERS

HOUSTON – U.S.
Customs and
Border Protection
(CBP) agriculture
specialists
intercepted viable
eggs within Asian
Gypsy Moth egg
masses aboard a
vessel, Aug. 24.
Throughout U.S.
ports of entry each day, CBP agriculture specialists
board international arriving vessels to conduct
inspections.
During one vessel boarding at the Houston Seaport,
CBP agriculture specialists found egg masses
suspected to be of Asian Gypsy Moth derivation.
“This type of interception is significant, as the
introduction of this pest into our agriculture system
could cause immeasurable damage,” said Houston
Area Port Director Roderick W. Hudson. “CBP
agriculture specialists perform work that is critical to
protecting the U.S. agriculture industry by preventing
the introduction of harmful pests into the country.”
The Asian Gypsy Moth is a pest that feeds on
trees and plants. These pests have the potential to
cause widespread damage to our country’s landscape
and natural resources. Each female could
lay hundreds of eggs resulting in caterpillars with
insatiable appetites. At this stage in their development,
these future moths may feed on hundreds
of tree and shrub species, causing devastation to
America’s agriculture production
and forest resources.
The egg masses were found aboard a vessel,
arriving from Japan, on the starboard side of the
gangway and on the super structure in a switch box.
CBP agriculture specialists submitted a sample
specimen of the egg masses to the local U.S. Department
of Agriculture for identification.
The USDA identified
the egg masses as Lymantria
dispar asiatica,
(Erebidae), which is
the scientific name for
Asian Gypsy Moth.
All egg masses
were removed and the
affected areas were
treated to exterminate
any remaining eggs.
On a typical day in
fiscal year 2017, CBP
agriculture specialists
discovered 352 pests
at U.S. ports of entry
and 4,638 materials
for quarantine: plant,
meat, animal byproduct, and soil.
Photo cutline: Asian Gypsy Moth egg masses were found
aboard a vessel arriving to the Houston Seaport.
Photo cutline: Asian Gypsy Moth egg masses were found
on the gangway of an international arriving vessel.
Photo cutline: A switchbox, seen here, on a vessel held
Asian Gypsy Moth egg masses.
–CBP–
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified
border agency within the Department of Homeland
Security charged
with the management, control and protection of our nation’s
borders at and between the official ports of entry.
CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist
weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of
U.S. laws.