• CBP agents found an invasive bug species on medicinal cones that a Jordanian passenger was carrying to Ohio. A USDA lab subsequently identified the species.
• The invasive species could’ve been detrimental to conifers in the Midwest region, which serve numerous purposes.
• According to records, the species has been intercepted by CBP twice before.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents found rare, spore-spreading bugs that were inadvertently carried into the U.S. from Jordan. The half-inch-long critters were discovered on cypress cones at the Detroit Metro Airport. 

According to CBP, a passenger on their way to Ohio brought the cones for medicinal purposes. 

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lab identified the species as Orsillus maculatus. In Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, the bugs live on cypress trees and feed on their seeds, which can cause significant damage. The bugs are also observed on other conifer species. 

An invasive species like this could be detrimental to the Midwest region because the area’s conifers don’t have a built-up resistance, making them vulnerable to the pathogenic spores. The trees are important to the region because they reduce erosion and flooding, improve water quality, provide refuge for wildlife, and can be turned into timber. 

According to CBP, the threat from invasive species is typically underestimated. That’s because their potential to inflict damage is judged based on their native environment, where plants and animals have a built-up resiliency, which prevents outbreaks. 

According to records, this species has only been intercepted twice before: Dallas in 1998 and Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2018.