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Seattle - U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists recently intercepted destructive pests arriving in a shipment of cut flowers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

On February 15, the shipment of Heliconia sp. flowers arrived from Thailand and was examined at a Sea-Tac air cargo facility. Heliconia sp. flowers are used decoratively in landscaping and in floral arrangements.

“CBP places a significant priority on our agriculture inspection program,” said Seattle CBP acting Service Area Port Director Edward Young. “This important pest interception marks another significant success in protecting America’s agriculture economic interests.”

CBP agriculture specialists discovered several insects, Cymoninus sechellensis, in the order Hemiptera, which entomologists call “true bugs.” This species is a “Seed Bug”, so called because it feeds on the seeds of its hosts. It can be a serious pest of cultivated crops and garden plants. It is known to feed on rice, wheat and other crop and garden plants in countries of Africa, Oceania and Southern Asia.

The insects were forwarded to the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service entomologists for identification. The Cymoninus sechellensis insect is not known to occur in the Western Hemisphere. This is the first time this insect has been found on Heliconia sp. cut flowers nationwide. This is only the second time this pest has been discovered on any commodity nationwide.

The flowers were fumigated to eliminate the pest risk and allowed importation into the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.