From the Ground Up: Relying on sterile flies

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The New World screwworm has not crossed into the United States, yet. And researchers, farmers, and government officials are working to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“One of our big strategies has got to be early detection and treatment, ” Professor and livestock specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Ron Gill, explained.

The only proven method to eradicate the New World screwworm is the release of sterile male flies.

“They only mate once in their life cycle, and so if we can get them to mate with a sterile male, then they’ll lay infertile eggs. It’s not that they won’t lay eggs, but they just won’t hatch and won’t grow, so that’s why the sterile fly techniques work,” Gill said.

But producing enough sterile male flies has proven to be the biggest challeng