Each year, three to four new species of insects are detected in France and more than twenty on the Old Continent. Thanks to trade within the EU and imports of fruits or flowers originating from America, Asia or Africa, the exotic hosts of these plants sometimes find room and board in France.
A reference laboratory at European level for the identification of harmful insects, the National Health Safety Agency (ANSES) analyzes each year more than 2,000 samples of invertebrates intercepted at places of transport and sale of plants.