DETROIT — It's a good thing not just the early bird gets the worm.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Detroit Metro Airport found live larvae of a rare fruit fly in a traveler's things earlier this year, officials said Thursday.

They said the grubs were among some fresh caper flowers found in the belongings of a traveler from Italy in June.

"Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists work hand-in-hand to stop potential threats before they have the potential to cause economic damage," Port Director Fadia Pastilong said in a statement. "Pests like this may be the next introduced species of concern if they go undetected."

Authorities said the traveler refused to answer officers' agriculture questions and was referred for a baggage examination.

A search found the live larvae, which officials tentatively identified as the immature form of the caper fruit fly. Scientists confirmed it this month, representatives said.

Customs and Border Protection officials said the bug feeds mostly on capers in its native habitat and is related to some of the world's most damaging agriculture pests, the Mediterranean fruit fly, the Oriental fruit fly, the melon fly and the Mexican fruit fly.

Authorities also said officers have only intercepted the caper fruit fly once before, about 20 years ago in Tampa.

Officers at Detroit Metro are no strangers to finding strange creatures among travelers' things and packages.

In June, they seized 90 Giant African Land Snails.

In 2022, agents found a moth species not seen since 1912 in a passenger's baggage.

Four years ago, they found a Brazilian black tarantula in a package.

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