Billions of flies to be bred and released in battle against flesh-eating maggots
The US government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of airplanes over Texas and Mexico in a battle against flesh-eating maggots.
Despite the plan sounding like something out of a horror movie, it is part of the government's bid to protect the US from a bug that could decimate its beef industry, wildlife, and kill household pets.
"It's an exceptionally good technology," said Edwin Burgess, an assistant professor at the University of Florida who studies parasites in animals, particularly livestock. "It's an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem."
The flesh-munching larva of the New World Screwworm fly has been targeted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an innovative pest control plan. To tackle this threat, the USDA is ramping up the production of adult male flies, sterilising them with radiation before releasing them into nature.
These sterile males then mate with wild females, resulting in unfertilised eggs that fail to hatch, eventually leading to a gradual decline in the pesky fly population.
Unlike conventional pest control methods which may involve harmful chemicals, this approach is heralded as more effective and eco-friendly. It's a tried-and-tested technique, having been used previously to quash screwworm outbreaks north of Panama.
A Panama-based fly factory played a pivotal role in containing these insects, but despite such measures, the pest made an unwelcome return in southern Mexico last year.
A brand new screwworm fly facility is anticipated to commence operations in southern Mexico by July 2026 according to the USDA's plans. They are gearing up to launch a fly distribution hub in southern Texas before the year ends.
This will ensure that Panama-sourced sterilised flies can be imported and disseminated as required. Injecting worry into ranchers and the wider American beef industry, most fly larvae typically consume dead tissue whereas the New World screwworm fly is a disturbing anomaly - along with its Old World sibling found in Asia and Africa - due to their proclivity for live flesh. Female screws favour laying their eggs in open wounds or areas of mucus exposure.
Highlighting the severity of the threat, Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, stated, "A thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks," emphasising the urgent need for action against these destructive parasites.
Veterinarians have effective treatments for infested animals, yet an infestation can still be distressing – not to mention the agony it can inflict on animals. Don Hineman, a western Kansas retiree with ranching roots, remembers the impact of infected cattle from his youth spent on the family farm. "It smelled nasty," he reminisced. "Like rotting meat."
The New World screwworm fly, a creature of tropical climes, finds the cold of Midwestern or Great Plains winters unforgiving, reducing it to no more than a seasonal menace. Nevertheless, between 1962 and 1975, the US and Mexico launched more than 94 billion sterile flies into the environment in a concerted effort to obliterate the threat, as per USDA records.
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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
US government to release billions of flies into Mexico to stop flesh-eating insects from crossing border
Scientists are preparing to breed and drop billions of flies on Mexico to halt a flesh-eating parasite from crossing the border. The Trump Administration is leading the effort to prevent the spread of the New World Screwworm, which was eradicated in the US over 40 years ago but resurfaced in Mexico in late 2024. According to US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the scientific name for the parasite, Cochliomyia hominivorax, roughly translates to 'man-eater.' This parasite lays its eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded animals, causing tissue damage and often kills livestock within two weeks if left untreated. Scientists will use a proven method called the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in which male screwworm flies will be irradiated to make them sterile, then released by planes across southern Mexico and parts of Texas starting in mid-2025. These sterile flies will mate with wild females, preventing reproduction and gradually reducing the population over time. Edwin Burgess, an assistant professor at the University of Florida who studies parasites, said: 'It's an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.' A breeding hub in southern Texas is set to open by the end of 2025, with a major facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to be completed by July 2026. While a fly factory in Panama produces 117 million flies per week, the USDA is ramping up efforts, aiming for 400 million flies weekly by leveraging new plants in Texas and Mexico. Leading the charge domestically, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is collaborating with Panamanian officials, Texas A&M, the University of Florida, Kansas State University, and Mexican authorities. To support these ambitious goals, officials are investing $8.5 million in Texas and $21 million in Mexico to convert facilities into fruit fly plants. Experts warn that the ripple effects of a screwworm invasion could be severe, resulting in mass livestock losses, skyrocketing beef and dairy prices, and deepening food supply instability. Female screwworms can lay up to 300 eggs at a time, and more than 3,000 in their short lives. Infections can be visible as wriggling maggots on the surface of the skin. The larvae bore into live tissue, feeding on the flesh and deepening wounds that quickly become infected. The USDA describes the maggots as resembling 'tiny, white screws' that burrow deeper over time using hook-like mouths. Officials warn that if the infestation spreads unchecked, it could devastate cattle herds across the southern US, especially in states like Texas, which holds 14 percent of the country's cattle. The USDA stated in a press release: 'When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal.' The US has also approved $165 million in additional emergency funds for enhanced surveillance, stockpiles, quarantine pens, and border safeguards. SIT was first tested in the 1950s on Curaçao, then scaled for America's eradication campaigns of the 1960s through 1970s. This eco-friendly tactic succeeded without insecticide sprays. Some experts caution that while SIT is species-specific and non-toxic, making it unlikely to be weaponized, it still carries risks. The recent crash of a plane releasing sterile flies near Guatemala, which killed three people, highlights that even non-chemical methods carry serious real-world dangers. According to USDA scientists, fly larvae in the wild drop from their hosts after feeding, burrow into the soil, and pupate. In the lab, they are moved to sawdust trays where they mature into adults, each resembling a dark brown Tic-Tac mint before hatching. But raising hundreds of millions of flies is not simple. Flies require precise conditions to reproduce. ' Cassandra Olds, an entomologist at Kansas State, said: 'You've got to give the female the cues that she needs to lay her eggs, and then the larvae have to have enough nutrients.' 'Feed typically includes egg powder, cattle blood plasma, and molasses,' she added. The New World Screwworm first broke through containment in Panama's Darién Gap in 2022, an area where over 1.2 million migrants headed for the US crossed in recent years. The same route may have helped transport infected livestock or injured animals that enabled the parasite to spread northward. As of June 2024, screwworms have been found just 500 miles from the US border. Models predict that by 2055, the parasite could infest Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, and even California, due to warming temperatures that allow it to survive year-round. 'Something we think we have complete control over, and we've declared victory over, can always rear its ugly head again,' said Burgess.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Millions of flies to be dropped over Texas to combat flesh-eating maggots
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Daily Mail
3 days ago
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Just one bite of food consumed by 75m Americans daily linked to cancer
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Previous research has shown that consuming excessive amounts of sodium, nitrates and chemical preservatives found in these products can harm cell DNA and create cancerous tumors in the heart, as well as the colon. These substances can also damage pancreatic cells - contributing to Type 2 diabetes. Researchers analyzed over 60 other studies to find out whether processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fatty acids can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and ischemic heart disease (IHD), a condition in which the heart muscles do not receive enough blood and oxygen due to narrowed or blocked arteries. Over time, this can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. Once they collected data from other studies, the scientists evaluated it using the burden-of-proof method - a newer type of meta-analysis that looks at both how strong and how many links are between diet and disease. Results showed that people who ate 50g of processed meat daily - the equivalent of two slices of ham - had a 30 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those who did not eat any processed meat. Furthermore, they also found that those who ate 50g of processed meat daily had a 26 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. No such link was found between eating 50g of meat and IHD. Additionally, the researchers also found that drinking a 12oz sugar-filled soda every day was associated with an eight percent increase in Type 2 diabetes risk and a two percent increased risk of IHD. Dr Mingyang Song, associate professor of clinical epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the study commented: 'When we look at the actual data there, it's really remarkably consistent and remarkably strong, and even in the lower dose of consumption, we can still see an increased risk of disease.' 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Additionally, processed meat is often high in saturated fat, which has previously been linked to increased inflammation in the heart. It is also filled with sodium and nitrates - both of which can increase bad cholesterol, increase blood pressure and potentially lead to tumors in the heart, as well as the colon. Dr Song recommends cutting back on eating processed meats, sugary drinks and avoiding hydrogenated fats where possible. Dr Nita Forouhi, head of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Cambridge who was not involved in the study, added: 'A good diet is not just about what to avoid. It's also important to get good nutrients. 'Wider research has shown us that overall dietary patterns that include higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and fermented dairy products like yogurt are good for health and longevity.' 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