Rare, destructive pest found for the first time in the U.S. at Texas-Mexico border – By Priscilla Aguirre (MySA) / May 11, 2022
A rare and economically damaging pest was found in the U.S. for the first time in a shipment of fresh fruit at the Texas-Mexico border, according to a Monday, May 9 news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Officials identified the insect as the Cochabamba sp., a species that belongs to what is called the leaf beetle family.
On May 2, agriculture specialists at the Pharr cargo facility conducted an inspection on a commercial shipment of fresh fruit arriving from Mexico, which resulted in the discovery of a live pest within boxes of mangosteen.
The 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, according to the release. The pest is found in Central and South America and its travel pattern indicates that it is migrating north.
