After 60 Years, Screwworm Returns—Biology Is the Answer

After nearly six decades of absence, the New World screwworm has re-emerged in southern Texas, posing a major threat to American livestock. The USDA is responding with a proven biological control strategy: releasing hundreds of millions of sterilized flies weekly to crash the pest population through reproductive disruption. This large-scale deployment demonstrates the enduring power and elegance of the sterile insect technique, a sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides refined since the 1950s.