LEWISTON — Despite crawling insects on its exterior, a package that originated in Africa reached its Lewiston addressee Monday.

Workers at the Lewiston Post Office discovered the package Monday morning while sorting mail, said Tom Rizzo, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service's northern New England district.

"We handled it according to procedure," Rizzo said. The package was placed into a cart and rolled outside to a loading dock. A few minutes later, when it was examined again, the bugs were gone.

Postal workers phoned the addressee who came and picked up the still-unopened parcel.

"We're not in the business of opening packages," Rizzo said.

All international packages are checked upon entry into the country, said Tom Woo, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman in Boston.

A package from Africa and bound for Maine would likely enter the U.S. through one of the New York City area airports and checked there before clearing customs, he said. An agricultural specialist would have been part of the inspection.

Rizzo described the Lewiston case as "totally unusual."

A bigger problem for postal workers tends to be domestic shipments, such as fruits and other perishables in the mail system. When they spoil, it can create a bigger mess, Rizzo said.

dhartill@sunjournal.com