Larvae Of Khapra Beetle Found In Rice Shipment At LA Port
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Customs inspectors have found larvae of the khapra beetle in a shipment of rice that arrived at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex from Pakistan, authorities said Friday.
The find was made Jan. 13, said Jaime Ruiz of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"The specimen was a pest not established in the United States," Ruiz said. "This interception marks the fourth seizure of khapra beetle(s) by seaport agriculture specialists in the last two and half months."
Officials have intercepted the pests in shipments of basmati rice from India and Pakistan over the past several months, Ruiz said.
(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
