It may sound like the plot of a horror movie. But it is part of the agricultural authorities' plan to protect the country from an insect that can destroy the meat industry and kill livestock.
Eggs in wounds
It's about the larva that develops into a fly called "the new world screwworm" in English and belongs to the family of blowflies. Most fly larvae feed on dead meat and females lay eggs in, for example, wounds.
A cattle of 450 kilos can die from this in two weeks, says Michael Bailey, head of the US Veterinary Medical Institute.
The Ministry of Agriculture plans to increase the breeding and distribution of adult male flies - and sterilize them with radiation before they are released.
In this way, the eggs that the female lays in nature are not fertilized and do not hatch either. This leads to the fly population dying out over time. The fact that females only mate once during their week-long life helps the purpose.
Released from aircraft
The approach is more effective and environmentally friendly than using spraying. The same technique has been used before, and led to the larva being eradicated in, among other places, the USA and Panama. But since then, it has made a comeback.
Now, an expansion of the facilities in Panama, Mexico, and Texas is to become a reality. The Ministry of Agriculture wants the factory in Panama to breed at least 400 million flies per week, insects that will be released in boxes from airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas.
