#screwworm

[revretch]

It's funny whenever people learn about parasitoid wasps, and then are relieved that they don't go after humans. Meanwhile, the screwworm fly just like

(Photo credit: Judy Gallagher/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

[grubbion]

Oh yes. The screwworm project!

Did I ever post this picture of a mysterious blood tanker I saw the other day

[eltristanexplicitcontent]

Killing every screwworm would be the best thing humanity ever did ...

Screwworm is the double double-u for your wwordle too.

[creepyastralemanation]

US plans fly factory in Texas to fight a flesh-eating parasite

US plans fly factory in Texas to fight a flesh-eating parasite https://share.google/1miJ6vJVASXuvbvVq

This $8.5 million dollar facility, at Moore Air Base, will breed millions of sterile, male screwworm flies - to prevent female flies from laying its eggs in cattle wounds!!

Strangely enough, this is only the 2nd such fly factory in the Western hemisphere - the other being in Panama.

Due to these flies being detected some 700 miles South its border, the US has already stopped imports of live cows, horses & bison from Mexico.

The US did the same basic thing back in the 1960s, which defeated the flies in the States.

Before that, screwworm flies had been an annual scourge in the SE USA...

Since Mexico goes to resume their cattle shipments, a Mexican facility had been planned.

But, at this moment, it seems that this facility will be opened in Guatemala - in some 18 months!

Everyone knows that if these flies aren't stopped now, they'll breach the Southern US border by the end of summer!!

Industry officials worry that farmers & ranchers could be hit with huge economic losses - because these flesh eating larvae can infect any mammal - including pets & people...

Other States's officials are also watching this fly's migration.

"We're concerned about any infected animal crossing the border - there's always the risk of infection..."

End?

[macmanx]

A war has been raging for decades in the jungles of Panama, as we fight one of the most terrifying parasites on Earth. It is so relentless that our best defense is to drop 100 million radiation-blasted, flesh-eating flies from the sky – every week.

[omen-teller]

thank you yahoo this is just what i wanted to see today

[michigantopnews]

New World Screwworm Outbreak Halts U.S. Livestock Imports from Mexico

USDA suspends live cattle, horse, and bison imports from Mexico due to the spread of the New World Screwworm, aiming to protect U.S. livestock and food supply. Michigan Livestock Industry on Alert as USDA Suspends Imports The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an immediate suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports from Mexico through southern border ports. This…

[faguscarolinensis]

Cochliomyia macellaria on Fatsia japonica / Secondary Screwworm Fly on Japanese Aralia at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[freshfocusnews]

Texas warning of "maneater" screwworms that lay eggs in flesh

Source: CBS DFW

Texas warning of "maneater" screwworms that lay eggs in flesh

Source: CBS DFW

[ubuntu-village]

Could Screw Worms Come to the United States?

Screwworms are such a big problem because they don’t just affect one kind of animal. They can infest livestock like cows, pigs, wildlife, and pets. This can lead to major issues for farmers and pet owners and harm wild animals. The impact isn’t just about the animals’ health; it can also hurt the economy because farmers may lose their livestock, and the cost of treatment can be very…

[identifying-deer-in-posts]

Do you have any thoughts on key deer? A friend got me really fond of them

They're adorable. Aptly nicknamed toy deer, these things are the smallest (sub)species of deer native to North America at a whopping 45-75 lbs (20-34 kgs). Most large dog breeds are bigger than this

(source)

They've made a big comeback since the 50s due to efforts to preserve their habitat in the Florida Keys, from 25 individuals to 700-800 today. However, they're still in a tough spot due to rising sea levels, road accidents, and habituation to humans. (The one above is being medicated by a reserve biologist for screwworms, which threatened the population in 2016-2017, but have since been dealt with)

(source)

(source)

(source)

They're great little fellas. Just have to stop scampering up to cars on the road

[great-and-small]

What’s your favorite turtle and also favorite parasite?

How could I ever choose?! I can’t pick absolute favorites but I can definitely choose some top contenders

Turtles:

- Alligator snapping turtle (I deeply love any type of snapper but these guys are just totally something else- once you work with one you’re hooked forever)

- Gopher tortoise (keystone species with talk show host level charisma)

- Bog Turtles (the cutest animal on earth??)

- Radiated tortoise (I love all the Madagascar tortoise species but these take my breath away)

- Eastern box turtle (if these dudes don’t fill you with childlike wonder I don’t get you)

- Diamondback terrapin (makes me feel how I assume old white guys feel when they see a fancy muscle car. Just a great looking kickass turtle here)

Parasites:

- Screwworms (parasitic larvae of a fly but terrifying and fascinating- these worms are the reason we have sterile insect technique)

- Toxoplasma gondii (best parasite to go down the rabbit hole researching; this protozoan is running the world)

- Parasitic wasps are morbidly fascinating to me so I’ll also say Jewel wasp (can perform brain surgery on the exact part of a cockroach’s brain that would allow it to escape)

- Any type of pentastomid (mysterious and cool, will never forget finding a dead snake filled to the brim with them)

- Guinea worm (interesting worm with cool history and life cycle- former US president Jimmy Carter once vowed to eradicate this parasite in his lifetime)

[posttexasstressdisorder]

How...fitting.