New World screwworm remains a serious concern for livestock owners, and we want to keep our Arcola Feed community informed. The New World screwworm was detected in April. As far north as the state of Nuevo Leon in Mexico. That puts it just over 60 miles from the Texas border, which makes this an issue Texas producers need to watch closely.

The good news is that New World screwworm is not currently present in the United States. Surveillance and response efforts remain active, and teams continue working hard to keep it that way. However, Texas is working with Mexico and Panama in a joint effort to keep these horrible pests at bay and stop their spread before they can move farther north.

One of the main tools in this fight is the use of sterile flies. So, sterile flies were dispersed to help stop the spread. Several facilities are producing and dispersing these sterile flies, which breed with productive flies and do not produce living maggots. This method helps break the pest’s life cycle and reduce the population over time.

For livestock owners, awareness matters. Stay alert, keep a close eye on your animals, and follow updates as this situation develops. We know this issue matters to ranchers, farmers, and animal owners across our area. So, we will continue to share important information with our community.

For the latest information, please visit screwworm.gov.