INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Customs officials at Indianapolis International Airport intercepted an invasive bug with the potential to harm the state's agriculture industry.
The khapra beetle eats dried grains, cereals and rice and thrives in silos.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Cherise Miles says agriculture specialists spotted two khapra beetles on July 6 during a routine search of packages traveling through the FedEx Express hub in Indianapolis.
She tells The Indianapolis Star that the live beetles were in a small bag of barley seeds included in a package of personal items being shipped from India to North Carolina.
Purdue University agricultural researcher Timothy Gibb says the beetle is considered among the world's most destructive pests of grain products and seeds.
