U.S. plans to drop millions of flies over Texas and Mexico to fight flesh-eating maggots

TEXAS - The federal government is planning to release millions of sterile flies over Mexico and Texas in an effort to combat flesh-eating maggots that pose a threat to American livestock, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

What we know:

The USDA informed FOX News Digital that the government will breed millions of flies to target the flesh-eating larvae of the New World Screwworm (NWS) fly. These flies will be sterilized with radiation before being released from airplanes over Texas and Mexico.

According to the USDA, a New World screwworm dispersal facility is under construction in Texas. This will be completed in 2025, with the facility operational in early 2026.  

Once complete, the USDA will have the ability to disperse up to100 million insects weekly along the border and into Texas, if needed.  However, current operations are focused entirely on the outbreak in Southern Mexico. They will strategically disperse flies where screwworm populations are and not in areas where they are not needed, according to a statement made by the USDA.

Dig deeper:

The Department of Agriculture will significantly increase the breeding and distribution of adult male flies. The strategy relies on sterile males mating with wild females, resulting in unfertilized eggs that do not hatch. This process reduces the number of larvae, ultimately causing the fly population to die out.

What is the New World Screwworm Fly?

The NWS fly, commonly known as screwworms, is a pest endemic to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and some South American countries, according to FOX News Digital. These flies are primarily found in forests and wooded areas but seek hosts like cattle or horses in open fields.

A female NWS fly typically lays eggs in wounds of live, warm-blooded animals. Once hatched, the maggots burrow into the flesh, which can potentially kill the host animal. Screwworms are named for their larvae's behavior, as they burrow into flesh similar to how a screw is driven into wood.

NWS Flies Threaten American Livestock

The backstory:

The NWS fly was believed to have been eradicated in the U.S. in 1966. However, the fly species recently reemerged in Texas following an outbreak in Mexico. After this news was released in May, the USDA immediately suspended live cattle, horse, and bison imports along the southern U.S.-Mexico border to prevent further spread of the NWS.

"Due to the threat of New World Screwworm, I am announcing the suspension of live cattle, horse, & bison imports through U.S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately," said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Between 1962 and 1975, the U.S. and Mexico collaboratively bred and released more than 94 billion sterile flies to eradicate the pest. The USDA estimates that in the 1950s and 1960s, livestock producers in the southwestern U.S. lost an estimated $50 million to $100 million annually due to NWS before its successful eradication.

Can These Flies Prey on Humans?

The other side:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that "people who travel to these areas, spend time among livestock animals, sleep outdoors and have an open wound are at greater risk of becoming infested with NWS." They are mostly found in South America and the Caribbean, not typically in the U.S. Individuals who have had recent surgery are also at a higher risk, "as the flies will lay eggs on open sores," according to the CDC.