WELLESLEY, Mass. -- A team of scientists planned to release approximately 1,000 parasitic flies in Wellesley, Mass., Friday in an effort to control the invasive winter moth.

The winter moth, which has recently come to eastern Massachusetts, has been stripping the foliage from “trees in towns that stretch from the North Shore to Cape Cod,” the University of Massachusetts said in a statement.

Winter moths emerge from the ground in winter, but only the male is able to fly. The female lays her eggs in a tree and then dies. In spring, the eggs hatch into caterpillars that feed on the leaves.

The parasitic fly, known as Cyzenis albicans, is a natural enemy of the winter moth.

University scientists said it had effectively controlled the moth in Nova Scotia and the Pacific Northwest.

The fly lays its eggs on the leaves eaten by the winter moth. The eggs then hatch inside the caterpillar and the fly larvae destroy it from within.

“(We) are confident that this fly will eventually suppress winter moth populations in Massachusetts to harmless levels,” the statement said.

The winter moth population in Massachusetts numbers in the trillions, according to the University and it will take several years before the moth population is decimated.