Beetles intercepted in Peruvian grape shipment
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials made a first in-nation discovery of Parepitragus pulverulentus Denticeps beetles in a shipment of Peruvian grapes mid-December, which could have posed a significant agricultural threat if left untreated. 
The detection was made on Dec. 14 in the Philadelphia Seaport within a shipment of 1,700 boxes of table grapes
"CBP agriculture specialists take their job of detecting foreign invasive plants and plant pests very seriously," said Tarance Drafts, acting CBP port director for the Port of Philadelphia.
"This is another example of our agriculture specialists performing a thorough inspection and finding a new potential threat to the U.S. agriculture industry."
After specimens of the beetles were sent to an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) entomologist for identification, CBP issued an Emergency Action Notification to the importer requiring either cold treatment, re-exportation or destruction of the shipment.
The importer chose to cold treat the fruit.
Photo: www.shutterstock.com
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