U.S. prepares to airdrop billions of flies to combat a devastating enemy: “It’s fantastic technology”
The United States is set to drop billions of flies onto its neighbour to combat a worm outbreak.
In a move that sounds like science fiction, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is gearing up to begin a decades‑old but proven biological tactic: releasing billions of screwworm flies from aircraft over southern Texas and northern Mexico.
The goal is to stop the reproduction of a flesh‑eating parasitic maggot threatening livestock, wildlife, pets, and even humans.
The worm, scientifically known as Cochliomyia hominivorax, burrows into living flesh, laying eggs in wounds, posing a risk so serious that a single infected cattle: “A calf weighing 450 pounds can die within two weeks,” Michael Bailey, the new president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, told reporters.
The technique involves breeding male screwworms, sterilizing them via radiation, and dispersing them by air: when they mate with wild females, the eggs they produce fail to hatch, causing the local population to collapse. The U.S. and Mexico bred and released close to 100 billion sterile flies between 1962 to 1975 to eradicate the parasite, proving its effectiveness.
🚨 Following @USDA_APHIS' evaluation of Mexico's response to New World Screwworm, USDA is set to begin phased port re-openings for cattle, bison, and equines from Mexico beginning as early as July 7, 2025. pic.twitter.com/9n7xyn0OZs
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) June 30, 2025
‘It’s an all‑time great in terms of translating science’
“It’s an exceptionally good technology,” said Edwin Burgess, assistant professor at the University of Florida. “It’s an all‑time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem."
To support the initiative, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced an $8.5 million sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Force Base in Hidalgo County, Texas—expected to produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week by late 2025.
“The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again,” Secretary Rollins of the USDA said in a statement. “We do not take lightly the threat NWS poses to our livestock industry, our economy, and our food supply chain. The United States government will use all resources at its disposal to push back NWS, and today’s announcement of a domestic strategy to bolster our border defenses is just the beginning. We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle.”
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