Customs: Beetle in cargo container at Norfolk port is first of kind to be found in US

NORFOLK, Va. – Federal authorities say a wood-boring beetle in a cargo container at the Port of Norfolk is the first of its kind to be found in the United States.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection says agriculture specialists discovered the beetle among untreated wooden pallets from Poland.

The pest is a type of bark beetle that lives and feeds in and under the bark of trees. Its scientific name is Pityophthorus glabratus Eichhoff.

Multiple media outlets report that the agency announced the beetle's discovery in a statement issued Friday.

The agency says the beetle was first found in Europe in 1878.