LOS ANGELES — Earlier this year, an invasive and destructive fly species, the Mediterranean fruit fly, was detected in Leimert Park.

In response, the Preventative Release Program, which drops millions of sterile flies over the Los Angeles Basin every day to prevent invasive fruit fly infestations, significantly increased the number of flies it drops over the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Mediterranean fruit fly is the “most important agricultural pest in the world,” impacting hundreds of crops, and if it were to permanently establish itself in California, it would devastate the state’s agricultural industry.