Beetle lands in Baltimore

Published March 28, 2011 4:00am ET



Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Baltimore have discovered a highly invasive wood-boring beetle aboard a crate sent from China.

The brown fir longhorned beetle poses a threat to some trees and landscape plants, and forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to suspend certain wooden crafts from China in 2005.

The beetle arrived inside a container of crafts and was found March 17. An USDA entomologist confirmed it over the weekend. It is the first brown fir longhorned beetle discovered in the Port of Baltimore.