Rare Fruit Fly Intercepted At Detroit Metro Airport

ROMULUS, MI — Detroit Metro Airport officials intercepted live larvae from a rare and potentially destructive fruit fly from an Italian traveler earlier this year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officials discovered the larvae among fresh caper flowers in June when an arriving traveler from Italy refused to answer agriculture questions and was referred for a baggage examination, according to officials.

Officials tentatively identified the specimens as caper fruit fly, which was only previously intercepted on one occasion 20 years ago in Tampa, Florida.

A specialist at the USDA Systemic Entomology Laboratory confirmed the specimens as caper fruit fly earlier this month, according to officials.

"Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists work hand-in-hand to stop potential threats before they have potential to cause economic damage," Port Director Fadia Pastilong said. "Pests like this may be the next introduced species of concern if they go undetected."

While this pest feeds mostly on capers in its native range, it belongs to a family of flies that includes the Mediterranean fruit fly, Oriental fruit fly, melon fly, and Mexican fruit fly, which are among the most damaging agriculture pests in the world.

There is not much information about alternate hosts of the caper fruit fly, or the potential for it to find a suitable host in the U.S. It is not uncommon for pest species to have a more detrimental impact outside of their native range where natural controls do not exist.