Border agents intercept "destructive" Pakistani insects in Oakland
The Khapra beetle, which is native to India, can eat its way through up to 70 percent of grain stores to which it has access; it was eradicated in the United States in 1966, and has been subject to federal quarantine since then; U.S. border agents in the Port of Oakland discover — and destroy — the larva in a shipment from Pakistan
The Khapra beetle, an invasive and “extremely destructive” arthropod, has been intercepted by agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In a news release yesterday, CBP announced that a team of its agriculture specialists had detected live larvae of the beetle — “considered one of the world’s most destructive pests of grain products and seeds” — in a shipment of rice coming into Oakland from Pakistan.
The Khapra, which is native to India, can reportedly eat its way through up to 70 percent of grain stores to which it has access. It was eradicated in the United States in 1966, and has been subject to federal quarantine since then.
The larvae themselves are not easy to recognize. “The diligent effort required in spotting this pest is underscored by the fact that the specimens are extremely small, and they were nestled in among a container full of palletized goods,” Richard Vigna, San Francisco director of field operations for CBP, said in a statement.
