Slug-Infested Christmas Trees from Oregon

(Honolulu, Hawaii) A shipment of Christmas trees from Oregon has been denied entry into the Hawaiian Islands because of a slug infestation, said Leslie Iseke of the Department of Agriculture.

Iseke said plant quarantine inspectors have so far looked at 130 or so containers and have 70 more to go. A container could contain hundreds of trees, she said.

Each container is opened for a visual inspection, and if pests are found, trees are pulled for a better look, Iseke said. "Sometimes we pull them out to spot-check, even if we don't find anything."

Trees are shaken and pounded on the ground "so hopefully whatever organisms are on the tree are shaken out on white maps," she said.

Some slugs are so tiny it is hard to see them just by spreading the branches open, so "the best thing is shaking," she said.

I must confess that whenever the subject turns to slimy, slow-moving invertebrates, I automatically think of Congress.