Stopping Screwworms with Science

The U.S. government is launching a new line of defense against a pest that once devastated American livestock. For the first time, that fight will include a sterile fly factory on U.S. soil.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a construction contract for a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas. The project, built with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is part of a broader strategy to stop the spread of the New World Screwworm.

Despite its name, the screwworm is not a worm. It is the larval stage of a parasitic fly. Adult flies lay eggs in wounds on livestock and wildlife. When the larvae hatch, they feed on living tissue, causing severe infections and costly losses.

Scientists control the pest using sterile insects. Male flies are raised in specialized facilities, sterilized with irradiation, and released into targeted areas. Female screwworm flies mate only once, so if they mate with a sterile male, their eggs never hatch

The new Texas facility is expected to break ground this spring. It will be the first sterile screwworm fly production center in the United States and could eventually produce up to 300 million sterile flies each week to help protect American livestock and agriculture.