Massive Fly Factory Will Mass-Produce Flesh-Eating Parasites, But for a Good Reason

The United States government is dropping $8.5 million to build a factory in Texas that will mass-produced infertile New World Screwworm (NWS) flies, with the sole mission of eradicating a flesh-eating parasite that can wipe out entire herds of cattle.

According to multiple reports, the facility will produce millions of infertile flies and release them into the wild so they can mate with female NWS flies. The objective is to prevent female eggs from laying eggs in the open wounds of cows. When the eggs fester in the wound, a flesh-eating parasite spreads and kills the cow.

If detected, cows can be treated for the flesh-eating parasite. But when undetected, the parasites can spread to just about every mammal, including household pets. In rare instances, humans have also been affected.

The government announced on Wednesday that the factory will open in Texas and less than 20 miles from the border of Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is also considering building a so-called companion fly-breeding center that would produce up to 300 million flies per week.

When the Texas factory opens by the end of the year, it'll mark only the second time a factory of its kind opened in the Western Hemisphere.

Panama opened the first facility, which produces a whopping 100 million flies per week. The factory was built to prevent flies from migrating north, which worked until last year, when Mexican officials spotted the flies in their cattle. The detection prompted U.S. officials last month to suspend imports of live cattle, horses and bison from Mexico. 

While the flies have not made their way into American territory, USDA officials said it detected the flies as close as 700 miles from the border. U.S. officials and cattle industry experts worry that if something isn't done to address the issue, the flies could reach the border by the end of the summer.