Destructive moths intercepted at Brownsville port

BROWNSVILLE - U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted Asian gypsy moths earlier this month on a Brownsville-bound ship en route from Manzanillo, Mexico, officials reported.

The East Asian moths are hazardous insects that have no natural predators in North America.

The moths and egg masses collected from the vessel Sept. 8 were transported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Inspection Station in Los Indios, where a DNA test confirmed the identity of the species Sept. 18.

The interception was the second time the insect has been found in Texas this fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The first was found on Aug. 18 in Houston.

"If (these moths) were to get into our area, they would flourish," CBP liaison Eduardo Perez said. "It could be devastating to agriculture."

Perez said he believes that preventive measures taken by the agency have diminished such a possibility.

CBP officers inspect ships entering the United States for insects and pests that could have come aboard along their route, Supervisory Agricultural Specialist Jared Franklin said.

The moth, which is known to rapidly destroy vast swaths of forested area, is dreaded by agricultural specialists.

When a single Asian gypsy moth was found in Portland, Ore., in 1991, an 8,400-acre spraying project resulted, according to The Oregonian.

The Asian gypsy moth is even more disastrous than the more commonly found European gypsy moth because it has more diverse appetites, consuming more than 500 plant species, and can fly up to 20 miles, unlike its European relative.

"(CPB specialists') alertness in this significant interception highlights the importance in identifying and stopping pests," said Michael Freeman, the Port Director for U.S. CBP, Brownsville.