Invasive Cherry Pest Found in Detroit Airport

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection says specialists have confirmed European cherry fruit fly was intercepted at the Detroit Metro Airport last month.

A five-pound bag of fresh cherries was found with a traveler arriving from Romania and headed to Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The region is a major cherry producing area of the state.

European cherry fruit fly has only been confirmed in New York and several counties are under quarantine to prevent the further spread. The invasive pest damages ripening fruit, causing it to rot and fall off the tree.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

So why is this newsworthy? Because states like Michigan and Wisconsin produce cherries. In fact, Michigan produces over 80% of the tart cherries in the U.S. If this pest is not identified and quarantined, the impact on cherry producers could be profound. It is already unfortunate that it was discovered in New York state and will be challenging to contain. Years past the fruit fly infestation devastated California fruit production. Thank goodness for the watchful eyes of our inspection teams at airports and other points of entry. Can you imagine no cherry pies?

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