For decades, every week, the US has released more than 14.7 million flies into the forest along the Panama- columbia border to prevent the spread of the New World screwworm - a parasite that is considered a major threat to North American agriculture due to its ability to destroy livestock farming.
This activity has been maintained for nearly 2 decades, originating from a strategy initiated in the 1950s by insectritionist Edward F. knipling.
Before being released into the wild, flies are raised in a laboratory using a mixture of blood, milk and powdered eggs, then examined to make infertility. This helps disrupt the reproductive cycle of this dangerous parasite, because the flies only mated once in their lifetime.
The US Department of Agriculture warns that nail spurs can penetrate open wounds in animals and humans, causing deformation, serious infections and heavy economic losses. It is estimated that if not controlled, annual losses could reach 1.3 billion USD.
The periodic flies release, funded by up to $15 million a year, is part of the policy of the Panama - US C prop Gland Destroyer Committee (COPEG), with Washington covering the majority of costs and organizing the implementation.
