In an old coal-mining town in northern Texas, around 130 miles from Dallas/Fort Worth, Greg Beunger raises beef cattle on his ranch. But Buenger, also a Texas Farm Bureau District 3 state director and retired veterinarian, has his eyes elsewhere at the moment, far from the northern flatlands.

His focus is on the Texas-Mexico border, where a series of cases involving the New World Screwworm have been documented.

The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters animals’ skin, causing severe damage and lesions that can be fatal. Infected animals are a serious threat to herds.

The parasite is typically found in South America and the Caribbean, but since it escaped containment in Panama i

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