Airport officials are always on the lookout for prohibitive items that could be carried in the luggage of passengers. And it’s not always narcotics or illegal gold that’s on their list. Sometimes, harmless-looking flowers or fresh produce can also pose a danger to the native agricultural life of the country because of the bugs and insects they can carry.
One such case was observed at Detroit Airport earlier this year. Rare fruit fly larvae caught at Detroit Airport The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed that its agriculture specialists found the larvae of a rare fruit fly at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) in June. A passenger arriving from Italy was asked for an additional baggage examination after failing to answer agricultural questions.
Fresh caper flowers were found in the luggage, but what’s more concerning is that the flowers were carrying what appeared to be specimens of caper fruit fly. This was later confirmed by the USDA Systemic Entomology Laboratory. The CBP explains that this particular fruit fly belongs to the same family of flies that also includes Mediterranean fruit fly, Oriental fruit fly, melon fly, and Mexican fruit fly.
These are considered to be some of the most destructive agricultural pests in the world. Before this, the caper fruit fly was last intercepted 20 years ago in Tampa, Florida. Port Director Fadia Pastilong commented, “Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists work hand-in-hand to stop potential threats before.
