Apr 15, 2010, 19:20 PM by User Not Found

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists stationed at the Seattle seaport have been busy intercepting wood-boring insects.

by KING5.com
Posted on April 13, 2010 at 4:05 PM

SEATTLE - U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists stationed at the Seattle seaport have been busy intercepting wood-boring insects and other potential agricultural pests arriving from locations all over the globe.

In March, CBP agriculture specialists discovered long-horned beetles, arriving in five ocean containers from Turkey, and in one container each from Viet Nam, Bulgaria, and Korea. The wood-boring insects, which could potentially ravage U.S. forests, were discovered burrowed into wood pallets carrying various commodities such as glazed floor tiles, plastics, ceramics and excavator parts.

Agriculture specialists have also found potentially harmful wheat seeds in a container of machine parts from China, noxious Mission Grass in a container from Vietnam, and rice and millet packing material in a container of handicrafts and spices from the African country of Djibouti.