Have You Gotten Any Weird Seeds In the Mail From China?

I've been seeing this subject on Facebook quite a bit the last few days. In fact, my mother even texted me in the middle of my shift yesterday to tell me everything sh'ed seen on the news about the seeds, and that, for the love of god, don't open or plant them.

In fact, according to WABI - TV5, the state is suggesting you contact them if you receive any of these seeds. What I find only slightly disturbing though, is I can't find anywhere online, what these seeds actually are. Are they magic beans? Bamboo? Will tiny microscopic robots sprout from them and take over the U.S.?

The part that gets weird for me, is that a lot of people who've gotten these seeds, haven't even ordered them. And it's not just here, folks in several other states are also saying they're getting them in the mail as well. The theory is that they could be harmful to other plants, or even livestock.

So what do you do? First of all, don't throw them away. They should be disposed of properly. You can contact state officials and give them your seeds. In fact, they'd like that very much. That way they can test the seeds and find out exactly what they are. But throwing them in the trash could cause them to grow somewhere else.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine Smuggling, Interdiction and Trade Compliance Unit is currently looking into how and why these mystery seeds have started showing up everywhere.

If you get some in the mail, you should contact DACF at 287-3200 or by emailing the agency at horticulture@maine.gov, or you can the get in touch witrh the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine office in Hermon 848-0008.