CBP Agriculture Specialists Intercept Cache of Undeclared Queen and Worker Honey Bees at Laredo Port of Entry
May 8, 2015
From: US Customs and Border Protection
LAREDO, Texas – Alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Laredo Port of entry stung an ill-fated and unusual smuggling attempt as they seized a cache of undeclared live queen and worker honey bees from a group of travelers in a pickup truck.
“This interception of multiple colonies of live honey bees is an unusual discovery, something not seen in recent memory and reflects the commitment of our well-trained agriculture specialists to uphold CBP’s agriculture mission and prevent the import of foreign insects without appropriate permits,” said Port Director Joseph Misenhelter, Laredo Port of Entry.
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The importation of foreign bees is regulated to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases and parasites harmful to honey bees established in the U.S. such as the Varroa mite, which was introduced into the U.S. in the 1980s and has caused extensive damage to the beekeeping industry. The number of managed honey bee colonies has been in steady decline. In 70 years, the U.S. honey bee colony population has decreased from 4 million in 1947 to 2.5 million today; native wild bees have been dying off in greater numbers. Bees of all types (wild and managed) play a crucial role in the farming industry in that bee pollination adds $15 billion worth of crop value each year and enables the production of 90 commercially grown crops in the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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