NEW YORK: U.S. Customs agents discovered a pest considered a threat to crops, inside a shipment at Port Everglades.
The pest, called the leafhopper, was found in a shipment of limes from Guatemala.
Customs and Border Protection officials said Monday a positive identification of the insect has been made after it was discovered earlier this month in a shipping container. It marked the first time this type of leafhopper has been found at Port Everglades, near Fort Lauderdale.
Authorities say leafhoppers are threats to crop plants. They rob plants of vital nutrients and transmit viruses, bacteria and other infectious pathogens from plant to plant.
The shipping container in which the bug was found has been sealed under quarantine pending further action.
