In recent months, border officials in Pembina, N.D., have confiscated diseased citrus fruit from Canadian travelers headed for the Sun Belt, potentially avoiding infestations of the American citrus crop, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In December and January, agricultural specialists with the agency stopped travelers from bringing in Mandarin oranges with citrus black spot, an invasive fungus, and arrowhead scale, a pest, CBP said in a news release Thursday.
Neither black spot nor scale has established itself in the U.S., but the introduction of either could devastate the country's citrus industry, the CBP said.
Black spot produces lesions on fruit and causes fruit to drop off trees prematurely, while scale pests suck the juice from citrus plants, killing trees and making fruit unsellable.
Border officials urge travelers to check restrictions on agricultural products -- such as fruit, meat, dairy or firewood -- before trying to bring them into the U.S. To check restrictions on such products, call the CBP in Pembina at (701) 825-6551, ext. 324.
