NWS Fly

First Captured Wild NWS Fly

NWS Fly
New World screwworm (NWS, Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a devastating pest. When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal. NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people.
Courtesy of USDA/APHIS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a post on X from the New World Screwworm Rapid Response account confirmed the first captured wild New World Screwworm (NWS) fly. This fly was caught in a trap located in Brewster County, Texas. The post also describes NWS combat strategies, saying, “Our surveillance system is working, using targeted fly traps, animal checks, drones, trail cams, boots-on-the-ground monitoring, and a network of partners tracking this pest. We strategically place traps just outside of infested areas to avoid capturing sterile flies and better pinpoint where wild flies may be moving.”

First Captured Wild NWS Fly

Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.