New Orleans (WGNO) — You might be surprised by what’s hiding in your Valentine’s Day bouquet.
So far this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists have inspected more than one billion imported flower shipments and discovered about two thousand unwanted guests.
The shipments are all legal, but insects will often cling to the flowers, posing a risk to U.S. agriculture. According to CBP, a single pest could cause millions of dollars in damage to American crops.
The inspections are conducted mostly in the largest American cities, including Miami and New York. The bulk of the imported flowers come from Colombia, and most of those shipments go through Miami International Airport.
The video above, provided by Customs and Border Protection, shows how thoroughly CBP officers must inspect the flowers to find insects.