A tiny
fly—and an even tinier critter that lives inside it—may help stop the
spread of a foreign tree in Florida. The tree is called melaleuca
(MEL-ahh-loo-cuh). Even though it is a beautiful tree, it doesn’t belong
there. It is a pest, or a weed. It crowds out native plants in part of Florida
known as the Everglades.
That could cause problems for other
creatures in the ecosystem that depend upon those plants for food and for a
place to hide, sleep and raise their babies.
A tiny
fly—and an even tinier critter that lives inside it—may help stop the
spread of a foreign tree in Florida. The tree is called melaleuca
(MEL-ahh-loo-cuh). Even though it is a beautiful tree, it doesn’t belong
there. It is a pest, or a weed. It crowds out native plants in part of Florida
known as the Everglades. 
