Pair of dangerous insects intercepted by customs agents at Dulles

Customs and Border Protection agents at Washington Dulles International Airport found two voracious bugs in a shipment of flowers from South Africa.

Both bugs are dangerous, especially to crops, CBP said in a release Tuesday. The Protea seed bug had not been seen in the area since November 1984, while the other, a plant bug called Caprhiobia sp., had never been seen there.

The bugs arrived on Oct. 7 in a shipment of 188 cut-stem protea and chamelaucium flowers from South Africa to a King George County, Virginia, address. The flowers were destroyed after the discovery was made, CBP Branch Chief for Agriculture Christopher Brewer told WTOP-FM.

The bugs were then sent to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist for identification.

Protea seed bugs pose a threat to crops, including wheat, grains, corn, cotton, vegetables, fruit and tree nuts. The Caprhiobia bug has a large appetite that can devastate vegetation, CBP said.