Regulations for the Import of Fishes, Wildlife, Plants, and Insects

Regulations for the Use of Insects as Use of Insects as Biological Control Agents

Klingman and Coulson (1983) outlined the guidelines for the introduction of insects as biological control agents of nuisance plants. A more up-to-date discussion of the protocols for the evaluation of these insects before release was discussed by Coulson and Soper (1989). Westbrooks (1993) described the six action levels by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that is responsible for preventing the entry and establishment of designated foreign pests to the United States. These steps include:
Prevention - Certain products entering the U.S. must be certified as pest free.

Preclearance - Inspection before shipment to the U.S.

Exclusion - Inspection and treatment before entry

Detection - Early detection of infestations

Containment - Established rules and procedures to stop the spread

Eradication - Means to eradicate infestations

The effectiveness of the regulations is challenged by many, including the industries that depend on the importation of nonindigenous species and the personnel that must enforce the regulations (Westbrooks 1993).

Frank and McCoy (1993:page 38) commented:

It is interesting to note that acting under
the Plant Pest Act of 1912 and Plant
Quarantine Act of 1957, U.S. Department
of Agriculture agricultural inspectors
have for decades tried to exclude
phytophagous insects (plant pests) from
entry into the USA, yet the U.S.
Department of Agriculture has encouraged,
and itself has taken part in, importation
of exotic plants as ornamentals. This
incongruity is explicable in terms of
trade: sales of exotic terrestrial plants
(by the nursery trade), exotic aquatic
plants (by the aquarium trade), and
exotic animals, especially vertebrates,
but also mollusks and arthropods (by
the pet trade) provide a profit to
importers. Our laws make it acceptable
to import worthless (i.e., unsalable)
potential pests. We are not aware of
anything in the laws that requires 
importers to pay for the control of
imported organisms that have become
pests, nor even to pay the cost of
research toward finding means of
control of such pests, although it
strikes us as fair that they should
do so.

Campbell (1993) summarized the legislation for the control of the introductions of exotic species into the United States and the major issues in the control of introductions.

A complete analysis of the Florida regulations about the importation and movement of arthropods was made by Denmark and Porter (1973). They emphasized that the applications to import insects, millipedes, mites, scorpions, spiders, ticks, snails, and protozoan malaria parasites were received and evaluated by a committee of state and federal agencies.