US to breed billions of flies and dump them out of aircraft in bid to fight flesh-eating maggot

Program mirrors earlier successful mission to fight new world screwworm fly, whose larvae can infest living tissue

SearchSupport usPrint subscriptionsNewslettersDownload the appSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingAbout UsThe Guardian appVideoPodcastsPicturesInside the GuardianGuardian WeeklyCrosswordsWordiplyCorrectionsTipsSearch input google-search SearchSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingAbout UsEnvironmentClimate crisisWildlifeEnergyPollutionGreen light A worker drops new qorld screwworm fly larvae into a tray at a facility that breeds sterile flies in Pacora, Panama, in 2021. Photograph: COPEG via APView image in fullscreenA worker drops new qorld screwworm fly larvae into a tray at a facility that breeds sterile flies in Pacora, Panama, in 2021. Photograph: COPEG via APUS newsUS to breed billions of flies and dump them out of aircraft in bid to fight flesh-eating maggotProgram mirrors earlier successful mission to fight new world screwworm fly, whose larvae can infest living tissue

The US government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas to fight a flesh-eating maggot.