Inspectors stop bee threat at U.S. port

   The U.S. honeybee population is safer today after U.S. Customs officers at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia recently intercepted a red mason bee hitchhiking in a container of household goods from the United Kingdom, the agency said.
   It is the first known interception of the red mason bee, which is commonly found in the United Kingdom, and is not established in the United States. Inspectors found the insect within a rolled rug and called in agriculture specialists to identify the pest. The bee pupae had parasitic mites. It could have had a devastating impact on domestic honey bees, CBP said.
   The shipment will be fumigated before it is released.