U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural experts intercepted Capra beetle remains at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last spring, federal officials said.
“The Capra beetle is one of the many significant threats we face at our borders,” regional port director Fadia Pastillon said in a release. “This extremely destructive insect is notoriously difficult to detect, which is why even intercepting cast hides is a big deal.”
Due to its invasive nature, the Capra beetle is one of several insects (either dead or alive) that the USDA considers quarantine important.
On April 18, 2025, a passenger returning from Lebanon found undeclared seeds in their luggage and was sent for secondary inspection, which led to the discovery of the capra beetle, known as the world’s most invasive grain pest, at the Detroit Airport. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the seeds.
Upon inspection, local Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials discovered a cast skin within the seeds.
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The beetle is one of several insects, dead or alive, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers quarantine important because of its ability to enter warehouses or silos and render stored products inedible. Federal officials say the beetle could devastate the nation’s agricultural economy.
The beetle can become dormant and is resistant to insecticides, making previous control efforts lengthy and expensive.
The traveler received a warning to declare all produce and was eventually released, officials said.
Jaylen Williams is a popular reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jabilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Invasive grain pest found at Detroit airport. what we know
