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• May 9, 2008 12:27 pm US/Eastern
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  Killer Flies Unleashed On Wellesley Caterpillars

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Killer Flies Unleashed On Wellesley Caterpillars

WELLESLEY (WBZ) ― 1,000 flies were set loose in Wellesley Friday in an attempt to get rid of winter moth caterpillars that are destroying trees in town.

Wellesley is following an experiment that's been successful in Falmouth and Hingham in recent years.

All three have brought in flies from Nova Scotia to lay eggs on the tree leaves. The caterpillars eventually eat the leaves and the eggs. Once the eggs are digested, they hatch inside the caterpillar, killing it.

Officials estimate there are 250,000 winter moth caterpillars per tree in Wellesley right now. As they grow, the amount they eat could quadruple by this summer.

Nova Scotia has had success with the fly program since the 1950's.

If it succeeds in Wellesley, the winter moth caterpillars could be killed off in 5-to-6 years.

The flies were released in Centennial Reservation on Maugus Avenue.

For more information on the winter moth catepillar, click here.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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