LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A potentially destructive bug, never seen in the
United States, was found at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex in a
shipment of pineapples from Costa Rica, federal agents said today.
The pest, identified as Acrogonia nigriceps, was discovered Aug. 25 by
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, agency spokesman Jaime Ruiz said.
Insects from the leafhopper family can cause severe damage to cash crops
such as grapes, potatoes, soybean and corn, Ruiz said.
``CBP's agriculture specialists play a critical role in safeguarding the
U.S. agriculture industry and the nation's economy,' said Carlos Martel, CBP
acting director of field operations in Los Angeles. ``This discovery attests to
their expertise in detecting and preventing harmful pests from being introduced
into the United States.'
This is the second interception of a pest in Los Angeles never before
seen in the U.S. in the past two months, Ruiz said.
On June 28, agriculture specialists at Los Angeles International Airport
discovered a specimen from the Aphids family while inspecting a shipment of
fresh flowers arriving from South Africa, he said.
In fiscal 2009, agriculture specialists seized more than 1.5 million
prohibited meat, plant materials or animal products, including 166,727
agricultural pests at ports of entry in the U.S., the agency said.