Flies released to attack hemlock-killing pest
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 - 11:30
in Biology & Nature
A team of scientists has shown that two species of silver flies from the Pacific Northwest will attack and eat hemlock woolly adelgid, the pest responsible for killing millions of hemlock trees in seventeen East Coast states. The team has released the flies, from Washington State, in experiments in Tennessee and New York, and early results look promising. If their experiment succeeds, these flies could help protect threatened eastern and Carolina hemlock trees.