U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted fruit flies in mail parcels at the International Mail Facility.
On June 4, the Torrance-based CBP agriculture specialists while inspecting a parcel -- described as dry food from Mexico -- discovered fresh mangos. They also discovered that the mangos were infested with live larvae.
This is the second interception of mangos infested with larvae coming from Mexico in less than two weeks, the agency added.
The larva was collected and sent to the USDA entomologist for identification. The USDA entomologist informed CBP that the larvae was actionable, meaning it poses a risk to the U.S. agriculture industry and determined to be Anastrepha sp. (Tephritidae), a type of fruit fly.
Fruit flies have the potential to cause serious damage to fruit and other plant crops. The eradication and quarantine efforts can be extremely costly and have a significant economic impact. The mangos were destroyed under CBP supervision.
On a typical day in 2009, CBP agriculture specialists seized more than 4,291 prohibited plants, meat and animal byproducts and intercepted 454 agricultural pests that could potentially harm the country's agricultural resources.
Joe Segura, a mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper, has covered Gotham City, er Long Beach, for 34 years. During his very, very long -- endless -- tenure, he's covered almost every beat, and he was the main writer for BeachWeek, which focused on life and lifestyles of the shoreline communities from downtown Long Beach to the Huntington Beach pier.
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