In a bold and unconventional effort to stave off a potentially devastating threat to its livestock industry, the United States is preparing to release billions of sterilized flies from airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas. The target of this aerial assault is the New World screwworm – a flesh-eating parasite capable of infecting and killing large animals, including cattle, deer, and even humans.

The initiative, reported by the Associated Press (AP), aims to control and ultimately eradicate the screwworm population through a process known as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). This involves breeding massive numbers of male screwworm flies, sterilizing them with radiation, and releasing them into infested regions. Once released, the sterile males will mate with wild females, but the resulting unions will produce no offspring, leading to a gradual decline in the fly population.

Unlike typical flies that consume dead or decaying tissue, the screwworm (scientific name: Cochliomyia hominivorax) is far more sinister. The female screwworm lays her eggs in the open wounds, or even mucous membranes, of living warm-blooded animals. Once hatched, the larvae burrow into the host’s flesh and feed on its living tissue, often causing agonizing infections and, in extreme cases, death.

“A thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks,” warned Dr. Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical........

© Blitz