Invasive pest known as the citrus root weevil found at Port of Wilmington for first time

An unwelcomed visitor cruised into Delaware a couple of weeks ago.

Agriculture specialists for U.S. Customs and Border Protection found a rare species of invasive pests at the Port of Wilmington, forcing them to fumigate the shipment.

The pest is a species of citrus root weevil, an invasive insect that is known to feed on citrus trees and plants. The species of weevil was identified as the Cleistolophus viridimargo Champion, which has never been found at the Port of Wilmington before (although, other types of citrus root weevils have been).

While inspecting a shipment of pineapples from Honduras, the agriculture specialists and entomologists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified the pest and notified the importer, who chose to fumigate the entire shipment.

Citrus root weevils are native to the Caribbean, but are also known to be found in Honduras and other Central American countries. It was first introduced to the United States in the mid-'60s on a shipment from Puerto Rico to Florida, which still deals with the pest today. Some estimates report that the weevil causes around $70 million in damage annually in Florida, infesting over 100,000 acres of citrus.

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“Customs and Border Protection’s agriculture protection mission is vital to our nation’s economic health, and this first-in-port discovery is evidence of our agriculture specialists’ tireless efforts to intercept potentially dangerous invasive pests,” said Eric Kelling, acting port director for CBP’s Port of Wilmington.

Customs officers also intercepted a shipment of opium poppy pods in Wilmington on May 31 that was destined for an address in Dover. The 9-pound shipment arrived from the United Kingdom and was labeled as “dried cones bulbs for bouquets and ornamental.”

During a typical day last year, CBP agriculture specialists across the nation seized 2,677 prohibited plant, meat and animal byproducts and soil and intercepted 240 insect pests at U.S. ports. 

The Port of Wilmington has recently undergone management changes as Massachusetts shipping company Enstructure LLC was selected to take over the port’s operations, which have been experiencing financial turmoil for years. 

Contact Molly McVety at mmcvety@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.