(KCEN) -- The most popular day of the year for flower sales will be here before we know it.
Valentine's Day also means a busy few weeks are ahead for Customs and Border Patrol agents on the Texas-Mexico border.
That's because millions of flowers will be imported into the United States and it's U.S. Customs' responsibility to make sure nothing else comes with them.
Banging, shaking and keeping a close eye are the techniques the agricultural specialists use to prevent foreign pests from entering into the United States.
If an insect not native to the U.S. is found, the agents will either refuse the flowers it came in on or have them fumigated.
Assistant Port Director Juan Uribe said, "CBP agriculture specialists' main point at this point, other than the prevention of terrorists, or terrorist weapons, is to ensure that the agriculture of the United States is kept safe. How do we do that? By ensuring that no new pests are introduced into our country."
The three weeks before Valentine's Day are the busiest time of the year for flower inspections.
Last year, Customs agents nationwide processed over 842 million flowers being imported into the United States.
