DULLES, Va. ( DC News Now ) — Customs agents at Dulles International Airport recently made a unique discovery in a shipment of flowers destined for Virginia.
In October, agriculture specialists from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted two insect pests, one of which had never been seen in the region and one that hadn’t been seen locally in 40 years, according to the agency.
Authorities discovered the bugs while inspecting a shipment of 188 protea and chamelaucium cut-stem flowers imported from South Africa on Oct. 7. The flowers were heading to an address in King George County.
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After finding the bugs, agriculture specialists sent them to an entomologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who identified them as Caprhiobia sp. (Lygaeidae) and Oxycarenus maculatus (Protea seed bug)…