U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted a “First in the Nation” destructive pest, this time on a shipment of fresh pineapples arriving from Costa Rica in a sea container.
Last week, agriculture specialists assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport discovered the live specimen while conducting an inspection of a shipment of perishable pineapples. Entomologists from the United States Department of Agriculture identified the insect as Acrogonia nigriceps (Cicadellidae) and confirmed that the insect was a “First in the Nation”, a new pest never seen before in the United States.
Any insects from the Cicadellidae family, commonly known as leafhoppers, are significant pests in agriculture. They can cause severe damage and decrease yields on numerous cash crops including, grapes, potatoes, soybean and corn.
This is the second “First in the Nation” interception in the last two months in Los Angeles. On June 28, CBP agriculture specialists at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) discovered a “First in the Nation” specimen from the Aphids family while inspecting a shipment of fresh cut flowers arriving from South Africa.
