Dec. 11 (UPI) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted a potentially destructive bark beetle from the Ivory Coast at the Detroit Metropolitan airport, the agency announced Thursday.
“The approximately 3-millimeter beetle was found within partially dry bark brought for medicinal purposes during a routine inspection of a passenger at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in transit to Texas,” CBP said in a press release.
It was the first interception of the species Ctonoxylon spinifer Eggers in the United States, the USDA confirmed in October.
The beetle and the bark it was nestled in were seized by CBP for further study, the release said. The passenger was released without incident.
“The first-time bark beetle interception is significant because many species are tree-destroying pests,” Port Director Fadia Pastilong said.
The Ctonoxylon species tunnels and breeds within layers of bark, unlike many other bark beetle species, which tunnel beneath bark and create galleries for their larvae.
Research on this type of bark beetle is limited, but several of the known species are reported to feed on fig and olive trees, which makes places that grow them, such as Texas, vulnerable to damage.
Travelers are required to declare agriculture items, CBP said.
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