Texas to deploy bait scented like open wounds to fight against screwworm fly

The Texas Department of Agriculture is set to fight the spread of the flesh-eating screwworm fly

by deploying bait meant to replicate the smell of open wounds. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says his agency will use Swarm Lore 5

a bait designed to mimic the odor of an open wound, in order to attract adult screwworm flies and kill them

A similar method was used to kill off the flies during an isolated outbreak in the 1970s

That followed the parasite's initial eradication from the U.S. in the 1960s

Miller stressed the bait is specifically designed to target screw worm and blowflies

and does not threaten beneficial pollinators such as honeybees and monarch butterflies

Miller says 90 percent of the flies will be eliminated in a two- to four-week period

and the rest will be killed off through the release of sterile male flies where traps are set

The parasite is a major threat to agriculture and a concern for veterinarians

who say the flies often infest wounds of warm-blooded animals, causing severe tissue

damage that can prove deadly if left untreated. By taking proactive steps now, officials aim

to stop a widespread outbreak before it starts preventing harm to livestock wildlife and pets New World squirrel worms are a concern because they infest living animals particularly mammals and the larvae consume the animal as it alive eventually

killing it in many cases. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also says airdrops of sterile

screw worm male flies are slated to begin next summer. The drops will take place mostly in South

Texas and the southern border. American agricultural officials and the USDA are particularly worried

about the movement of the New World Screwworm fly. It had been contained in Panama for years

and it was spotted in southern Mexico late last year, and it's been moving a little bit north

ever since. And they don't want it to get to Texas. The sterile males are released into the

wild where they'll attempt to mate with female flies. However, no female eggs will be fertilized

and no larva hatched, which will subsequently reduce the fly population over time. Though

relatively rare compared to livestock, human infestations from screwworm flies can occur

The flies lay their eggs in open wounds. So if you detect larva in an open wound

you should seek medical help immediately. For more on this story, download the Straight Arrow

News app or visit san.com. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan