The screwworm has been beaten before, and the weapon is biology, not pesticide. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) floods an area with sterile male flies so wild females mate without producing offspring, collapsing the population over successive generations.
How it works
- Mass-rear flies in a dedicated facility.
- Sterilize the males with radiation.
- Release them by air and ground over the outbreak zone.
- Sterile males vastly outnumber wild ones, so most matings produce no young.
- Each generation shrinks. Repeat until local extinction.
The track record
SIT eradicated the New World Screwworm from the U.S. in 1966, pushed the barrier south through Mexico and Central America, and eliminated the 2017 Florida Keys outbreak. Verify
Where the flies come from
The COPEG facility in Pacora, Panama — jointly run by USDA and Panama — produces [VERIFY:100M+] sterile pupae per week. Verify New U.S. production is being pushed to scale supply.
Why detection is the force multiplier
SIT is only as good as the map it's aimed at. Release flies where the outbreak actually is, early, and you win faster with fewer flies. That's the gap we fill.
Related: The complete guide · Live outbreak status · Our approach