Texas Border Agents Bust Taxi Full of Illegal Bugs

Border agents in Texas recently stopped a weird shipment of illegal cargo from entering into the country. Was it drugs? No. What about weapons or ammo? Nope. I'm talking about bugs!

Border agents at the Laredo Port of Entry, on May 6, stopped a taxi from entering through to the U.S. The vehicle was sent to secondary inspection where a canine sniffed something interesting in the driver's luggage.

Buggy Luggage in South Texas

After officers examined the driver's goods, they found a bag with over 100 live chinch bugs writhing around.

Along with the creepy crawlys, border agents also located some mangos, plums and mamey (a fruit described as a mixture of sweet potato and pumpkin).

This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it IS against the law to transport agricultural items and live insects across international lines since they can often carry diseases or harmful pests that would be introduced to the new country.

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The driver essentially received a slap on the wrist and a $300 penalty fine, since he failed to declare the prohibited items prior to attempting entry into the country.

What are Chinch Bugs?

I was waiting for you ask that. These insects with a funny name are actually found quite often in Texas. You're best chance for finding these little guys is to look on host plants like corn, rice, sorghum and turf grasses.

Yes, they DO damage crops, unfortunately. Crops are most susceptible to damage around the spring time in March. This is when the babies, or nymphs, are more active and feeding.

Once they emerge from their egg, the baby chinch bug has an overall life expectancy of around six weeks... so live it up while they can!