From Fox News: The federal government is planning to breed millions of flies and dump them over Mexico and Texas via airplanes in an effort to combat a flesh-eating maggot.
The pest being targeted is the flesh-eating larva of the New World Screwworm (NWS) fly. The Department of Agriculture plans to ramp up the breeding and distribution of adult male flies. The flies will be sterilized with radiation before they are released.
They mate with females in the wild, and the eggs laid by the female aren’t fertilized and don’t hatch. There are fewer larvae, and over time, the fly population dies out.
The USDA expects a new screwworm fly factory to be up and running in southern Mexico by July 2026. It plans to open a fly distribution center in southern Texas by the end of the year so that it can import and distribute flies from Panama if necessary.
If we don’t take action now, the New World Screwworm will devastate Texas livestock and wildlife.
Great to join @SecRollins today to announce $8.5 million to establish a sterile fly facility in Hidalgo County to stop the spread of the New World Screwworm! pic.twitter.com/5zVLHhQHtp
— Rep. Monica De La Cruz (@RepMonicaDLC) June 18, 2025
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