Wildlife Health Alert: Texans Encouraged to Stay Vigilant for New World Screwworms

  • The screwworm larvae, or maggots, feed off the living tissue of mammals. After feeding, larvae leave the host, burrow into the soil and eventually emerge as the next generation of breeding screwworm flies. USDA
    The screwworm larvae, or maggots, feed off the living tissue of mammals. After feeding, larvae leave the host, burrow into the soil and eventually emerge as the next generation of breeding screwworm flies. USDA
    A recent report from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department indicates the New World screwworm is inching its way closer to the U.S./Mexico border.New World screwworms (NWS) are parasitic flies that lay eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes such as the nostrils, eyes or mouths of live warm-blooded animals. These eggs hatch into a type of parasitic larvae (maggots) that only feeds on li...

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