Texans could soon be met with a major invasion, as officials outline a plan to stop the spread of flesh-eating flies that pose a huge potential danger to the Lone Star State. There are countless natural dangers that the world has to face every single year, from environmental catastrophes to dangerous fungi, but you might be surprised to find out quite how worrying insect invasions can be..
Only last year, parts of the United States suffered what many understood to be the biggest bug invasion in centuries, which proved so significant that people compared it to biblical tales. Now, one potential upcoming threat to southern America could prove to be even more deadly.
As reported by Ars Technica, Texas has announced a major new plan to fight back against flesh-eating bugs, as they could cause significant damage to many key animal populations.
What are the flesh-eating flies?
Known officially as the New World Screwworm, these flesh-eating flies are extremely dangerous to animal populations, causing a significant threat to both livestock, like cattle, and endemic wildlife alike.
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Their name comes from the shape of their larvae, which are born from hundreds of eggs that are inserted into any open wound or orifice of a wide range of warm-blooded animals. This causes devastating and often deadly injuries.
The larvae then twist their bodies into the victims, effectively eating them alive and making for a gruesome result that is as horrific to look at as it is to hear about.
Why are New World Screwworm so dangerous?
Understandably, the danger of the flies comes from their capacity to kill large numbers of animals when infected, wiping out valuable farm livestock and threatening the existence of certain endangered species.
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Historically, governments across North and South America have been able to eliminate New World Screwworm populations by using what's known as the sterile insect technique (SIT), which takes advantage of the bug's ability to only mate once.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a method that used gamma radiation to sterilize male Screwworms without affecting their ability to find a mate, also tanking the populations in affected areas.
However, an increase in Screwworm populations across parts of South America has raised concerns that they could be on their way back to the United States, prompting Texas officials to take preventative action.
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New sterile fly facilities have been set up in Texas, and the USDA is preventing livestock trade from occurring at southern entry points.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has emphasized that the SIT techniques that previously proved effective are no longer enough to fight back against Screwworms, though, and new measures involving synthetic bait have been developed.
This new bait mimics the scent of open flesh wounds, allowing researchers to both track and proactively eliminate the Screwworms before they become a problem.
"When it comes to safeguarding Texas' $15 billion cattle industry, we need to focus on action rather than words," Miller emphasized in a statement. "That's why I instructed by Biosecurity team to develop an effective Screwworm lure.
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"This new attractant, named TDA Swormlure, marks a serious upgrade in our efforts to protect Texas livestock from the threat of New World Screwworms, now roughly 370 miles south of Texas.”