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Billions of flies to be dumped out over Texas to fight flesh-eating maggot known as the "man-eater"

The New World screw-worm fly
The New World screw-worm fly
Getty Images

In an effort to combat a flesh-eating maggot known as the "man-eater," the U.S. government is preparing to breed, and subsequently dump, billions of flies over Mexico and southern Texas.

Officials say the new world screwworm could potentially devastate the U.S. beef industry, decimate wildlife, and even kill household pets.


According to CBS News, adult male flies are sterilized and released into the wild, where they mate with female new world screwworm flies. The eggs laid by females don't hatch, and over time wither fewer larvae, the pests eventually die out.

The USDA expects a new screwworm fly factory to be up and running in southern Mexico by July 2026 and plans to open a fly distribution center in southern Texas by the end of 2025 so that it can import and distribute flies from Panama if necessary.

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