Overview
- A CBP agricultural detector canine alerted officers to luggage from Ghana during a routine inspection and agents found a small winged insect among corn and seeds that was later identified as Mesophleps silacella.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the species on Aug. 12 and Customs and Border Protection says this is the first known encounter of the straw crest moth at a U.S. port of entry.
- The traveler was advised about U.S. agricultural import rules and released without further action after officers removed the items for inspection.
- The straw crest moth is known from Europe and parts of Asia and Africa and feeds on plants in the rockrose family, while the larger gelechiid moth family includes species that have become invasive elsewhere.
- CBP and USDA officials emphasized that detector dogs, specialist screenings and the legal duty to declare food and plant material are key defenses against pests that could harm crops and the food supply, and they said interceptions like this are part of routine border biosecurity work.