Texas to deploy Swormlure-5 bait to conquer New World screwworm
To combat the continued threat of New World screwworm in Mexico, the Texas Department of Agriculture announced on July 21, that it plans to use Swormlure-5 bait, along with the current sterile fly method to eliminate the NWS expansion that is threatening the livestock industry. This comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture closed the Southern border on July 11 after NWS was reported just 370 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.
Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller said his department is working closely with the USDA and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to launch this second method of pest control, which was successful when there was an isolated breakout of NWS in the 1970s.
“The New World screwworm is not just a Texas problem,” Miller said in a press release. “This is a nationwide crisis with potential massive implications for American agriculture, which could result in billions of dollars in economic losses and place a heavy burden on our agriculture, wildlife industries and public health systems. We cannot wait for sterile flies alone to turn the tide. That’s why we’re applying a little cowboy logic and bringing back Swormlure, now with an enhanced formula that’s more powerful and effective than ever.”
According to the TDA, Swormlure is a synthetic bait used to attract adult screwworm flies that can be used in combination with insecticides, such as Dichlorvos, to kill NWS. Since the 1970s, the formula has been improved, and the newest version of the bait is called Swormlure-5, which is highly targeted, and only impacts screwworms. The TDA claims it will not pose a threat to other beneficial insects, such as bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
“Back then, we used this combination to help wipe out one of the nastiest parasites we’ve ever faced,” Miller said. “Swormlure-5, created using modern science and built upon previous versions, Swormlure-2 and Swormlure-4, is a potent synthetic attractant that mimics the scent of open wounds, drawing adult screwworm flies to the bait, where they die. In prior research and deployment, this method eliminated approximately 90% of the flies within a two-to-four-week period. The remaining 10% were eliminated with the release of sterile male flies in the areas where traps were deployed.”
The TDA is expected to organize and deploy the Swormlure-5 traps with support from the USDA and the Mexican government. The use of sterile flies will continue as well, with the hope that the combination of the two methods will end the NWS invasion in short order.
“We’ve beaten the NWS before, and we’ll do it again. But it will take all hands-on deck,” Miller said. “We need another success story like we had in the ‘70s, and I believe Swormlure-5 bait is the game-changer that will get us there.”
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
