Wildlife Biologist Chris Gregory recently spoke to the Livingston Lions Club about the new world screwworm and the risks it presents.
Cochliomyia hominivorax, referred to as the primary screwworm, causes obligatory myiasis which means that it feeds on live flesh as a primary source of food and is a major economic pest.
The female is attracted to fresh open wounds on any warm-blooded animal. The wounds can range from a thorn scratch, insect or tick bite mark to a gaping laceration. The females are also attracted to the newborn umbilicus of calves, castrated calves, and dehorning, branding or shearing wounds. The female screwworm will quickly lay 100-300 eggs on the dry perimeter of the wound.
In less than 24 hours, larvae hatch from the eggs and begin to feed on the open wound. It will take one to two weeks for the larvae to become fully developed. In that time, they will consume a large amount of dead and live flesh.
Gregory also addressed the economic impacts of hunting, commenting that there were 1.7 million Texas hunters in 2022 and that $9.6 billion is spent annually on hunting and hunting-related activity.
He said that hunters spend an average of $6,000 per year to participate. Additionally, according to a 2022 survey on the economic values of white-tailed deer in Texas that was conducted by Texas A&M University, $20.6 - $30.2 million has been spent in Polk County.
