According to Florida Key News, over 13.5 million of these sterile flies have been released in Monroe County in the hopes that when they eventually find a female to mate with, no offspring will be produced, which over time causes the population to crash.
To create these sterile little guys, large numbers were bred in captivity and then blasted with radiation, reports the BBC. No genetic modification was required. This exact method was used to help eradicate screwworms from places like the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico back in the ’60s.
The New Screwworm outbreak, which is currently limited to just Big Pine Key and No Name Key, has already claimed over 120 deer in the Florida Keys.
Fearing the screwworm could eventually spread to livestock and cause millions of dollars in damage, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture has declared an agricultural state of emergency in Monroe County.
This article appears in Nov 2-8, 2016.
