WASHINGTON: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has intercepted a pair of invasive species after inspecting a recent inbound shipment at the Port of Charleston.
The federal agency said inspectors found a type of long-horned beetle known as round-headed bores as well as “globular springtail” insects. “The freight arrived in late April from Italy, and the insects, in various stages of growth including larvae and adults, were discovered nestled into wood pallets and plastic wrap in a shipment of wine destined for a South Carolina-based distributor,” according to a written statement. The non-native environmental pests “could do grave damage” to hardwood trees, untreated lumber, plants, fungi and algae if allowed to establish themselves on U.S. soil, Customs said.
