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Painted grasshopper

Fera’s Pest Identification Team solved the mystery. The stowaway, decked out in the blue and yellow colours of Shewsbury Town football team, is known as a 'painted grasshopper'. The uninvited guest is the first of its kind to land on British soil, inspectors said.

Despite being lovely to look at, this grasshopper is not welcome in Britain long term. In Pakistan and India, the painted grasshopper is a known pest, causing serious damage to a range of food crops.

Big appetite

Milkweed is the insect's primary host, but it also feeds on:

• aubergine
  
• citrus
  
• potatoes
  
• tomatoes
• cucurbits - commonly known as melons, gourds, cucumbers, watermelons and squashes, including the currently seasonal pumpkin
  

Grasshoppers have a massive appetite. The painted grasshopper detained at Stansted rapidly ate its way through a cabbage plant in the quarantine lab.

Ask an expert

If you spot a strange-looking insect, you can ask Fera's trained insect specialists (entomologists) to identify it.

Sharon Reid, the Fera entomologist who identified the painted grasshopper, said: "It is not unusual for inspectors to find stray insects in aeroplane holds. But this is the first alive and well painted grasshopper we have seen. However, a single insect like this could not reproduce, and is unlikely to survive our UK climate."

This is not always the case, however. Many imported insects could cause outbreaks that could ruin UK crops or plants. In California, the carpenter ant causes extensive damage to wood-framed houses.

Non-native insects: be alert

Climate change has extended our growing season, enabling non-native plants to survive in the UK. Along with new varieties of plants, potentially, could come insects or animals that feed on them or use them as a habitat. If you see an unusual insect in your vegetable patch, allotment, or inside your house, it is important to report it.

Reporting a suspected pest

Suspected pests should be reported to Fera’s Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate (PHSI), who perform regular checks at our ports and airports. You can contact PHSI head office on this number: 01904 465625.

Or follow the link below to download a full list of local inspectors throughout the UK.

• Food and Environment Research Agency: contact a Plant Health and Seeds Inspector Opens new window

More on Directgov

• Bringing food and plants into the UK (travel and transport)

• Dealing with invasive plants and harmful weeds (home and community section)

• Exploring forests and woodland (home and community)

• What you can do with your allotment (home and community)