A shipment of the tropical fruit Mangosteen arrived at the US border carrying an unwelcome stowaway never seen in this country before. Customs officials at the Pharr International Bridge on the Texas-Mexico border apparently spotted a single Cochabamba leaf beetle—bad news for crops—in one of the fruit boxes. According to the US Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists, Cochabambas have never made it this far north before. From US Customs and Border Protection:
This pest can cause agricultural and economic damage as their larvae skeletonize the leaf surface and adults eat plant and tree leaves and cause damage to foliage. This pest is found in central and south America and its travel pattern indicates that it is migrating north. The shipment was refused entry and returned to Mexico.
(via CNN)
