Inspectors Find Invasive Asian Gypsy Moth Eggs On Ship At Port Of Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Agriculture specialists discovered an egg mass on a coal freighter at the Port of Baltimore on March 22, and have determined it was likely of the "highly destructive" Asian Gypsy Moth species.
U.S. Department of Agriculture experts said the nonnative species could cause "serious, widespread damage" to forests in North America, according to the department's Invasive Species Information Center.
"While most of the country remains hunkered down against coronavirus, Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists remain on duty protecting our nation's vital agricultural resources against Asian Gypsy Moth and other highly destructive insect pest invaders," said Adam Rottman, CBP's Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore.
Inspectors found the eggs under a hatch door on a coal freighter, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The ship made trips in China and Japan during the summer of 2019 and had arrived in Baltimore from the United Kingdom on March 22, the agency said.
Specialists removed the egg mass and treated the affected area, the statement said. Officials emphasized that vessels that dock at Asian ports are generally inspected for the masses and governments in countries at high risk for the moths typically certify that ships leaving their ports do not contain any egg masses.
The species is known to attack more than 500 types of trees and plants in the U.S., the statement said.
