US Customs inspects flood of Valentine’s flowers

That Valentine's Day bouquet may only last on the kitchen table for a few days, but it likely arrived after a long, round-the-world trip from a warmer climate.

US Customs and Border Protection says the week before Valentine's Day is one of its busiest times of the year for agricultural inspections as millions of flowers arrive by air to meet the demand of Valentines across the US.

"This is a time that's really special to us," said Ralph Johnson, a supervisory Agricultural Specialist with US Customs and Border Protection.

A JFK International Airport in New York, Johnson says every year they bring in additional specialists from other locations just to meet the demand.Around two percent of the flowers that arrive at JFK are opened up and combed for prohibited plants, seeds and insects.

Those foreign invaders, they say, could pose a threat to the nation's agricultural industry — introducing invasive species that can wreak havoc on the environment.On the Wednesday before Valentine's Day, Agricultural Specialist Kay Ransom held back several shipments of flowers for further examination after finding insects.

If those bugs are deemed a prohibited species, the entire shipment is either returned to sender, or incinerated.Johnson says finding just one prohibited item means the entire shipment — often worth as much as $100,000 — is rejected.

CBP says between January 1st, and January 25th, it confiscated 542 shipments of agricultural products for containing banned pests, the majority of those arriving at Miami International Airport, followed by JFK.

Among the discoveries made: the Khapra Beetle, which officials say can destroy grain supplies, and White Rust Disease, which is a fungal disease that affects chrysanthemums.

In total during that same time period, CBP says it received just under a half billion "stems" of flowers across the border.