Tiny African Moth Intercepted At Detroit Airport During Routine Luggage Check

Border patrol agents earlier this year in Detroit stopped a potentially destructive invasive species from making its way to the United States through Michigan for the first time ever.

That is to say, this is the first time ever that this insect in particular was discovered on somebody’s person while coming into the United States. A report from Fox says border agents at the Detroit Metro Airport intercepted a small moth that was found in the luggage of a traveler from Ghana, who happened to be traveling with corn and seeds.

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After an investigation was done to identify the species, it was determined that it was a straw crest moth, which experts say was the first recorded report that one of these moths was at a US port of entry.

It was sniffed out by a search dog during a routine inspection, which is when they found the moth who only had a total wingspan of about 11 mm. It was after they discovered the insect that specialists with the United States Department of Agriculture were able to identify it.

The traveler, who was from Ghana, was essentially reminded of the requirement of bringing in any kind of agricultural import and faced no repercussions. Experts say that the straw crest moth is mainly found in Europe, in parts of Africa, and is known to feed on plants in the Rockrose family, which are small flowery plants best known for shrubs and typically have crinkly flower petals, which include gum, pink, grey leaf, sage leaf, frost, weed, peak, and common rockrose.

Michigan is known to have native members of the rockrose family, although they aren’t particularly common to find around the state.

Michigan has had its fair share of struggles with invasive species, not only with animals, but with plants as well. Currently, there are more than 50 invasive species in Michigan that are regulated, including both plants and animals, many of which are aquatic species.