Flesh-Eating Flies Headed Our Way: Texas Gears Up for Battle!

Folks, this is not the kind of “bug problem” you solve with a fly swatter. Texas is bracing for a possible invasion of the New World Screwworm—a nasty, flesh-eating parasite that literally eats its victims alive. And yes, that could mean cattle, deer, pets…even YOU!

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The Texas Department of Agriculture isn’t waiting around. On Friday, Ag Commissioner Sid Miller announced the launch of TDA Swormlure, a synthetic bait that smells like an open wound (apparently, that’s a five-star dinner bell to these flies). The goal? Lure them in and wipe them out before they get a foothold in the Lone Star State.

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For those unfamiliar—and lucky enough never to have seen it—here’s how these things work: female flies lay hundreds of eggs in the tiniest cut or scrape. Within hours, screw-shaped larvae hatch, burrow into the flesh, and start eating. Left untreated, it’s fatal.

This isn’t just an “ick” factor. Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry is on the line. And there’s evidence these pests are expanding their appetite. In Colombia, scientists just reported screwworm infestations in two endangered mountain tapirs—large, pig-like animals that had never been considered prime targets. Researchers suspect climate change and livestock movement may be helping the flies push into new territory.

They’ve Been Here Before

If you’re wondering how big a threat this really is—screwworms were once common across the southern U.S. until a massive eradication campaign in the 1960s used the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). The USDA bred millions of sterile male flies, dropped them by plane over infested areas, and eventually wiped them out here.

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Since then, a “biological barrier” in Panama has kept them in South America. But that line was breached in 2022, and they’ve been creeping north ever since. Latest reports put them about 370 miles south of the Texas border.

Texas’ New Game Plan

Miller says SIT alone won’t cut it this time. In addition to the new Swormlure, Texas plans to deploy insecticides, ivermectin-laced feed for livestock and deer, and—down the road—possibly a cattle vaccine to kill larvae before they can cause damage.

Miller said:

We’ve got to act now. We can’t just hope they don’t make it here.

Bottom line—if you’re in ranch country, keep a close eye on your animals. Texas is getting ready for battle. And this is one fight we can’t afford to lose.