Homeland Security Drones Repurposed to Track Flesh-Eating Screwworm Outbreak in Texas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Homeland Security are rerouting hundreds of drones originally deployed for border and maritime surveillance to track the spread of New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) through Texas rangeland.
The flesh-eating parasites, which lay eggs in open wounds of livestock and wildlife, have been detected in multiple Texas counties after being largely eradicated from the U.S. since the 1960s. The program's expansion involves equipping drones with thermal imaging and high-resolution cameras to detect symptomatic animals across large, remote pasture areas—work that would otherwise require extensive ground crews.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is coordinating the effort, which targets both cattle operations and native wildlife populations that could serve as reservoirs for the pest. The screwworm, native to tropical regions, appears to be establishing in south Texas, and officials are concerned it could spread northward into major cattle-producing states.
The surveillance initiative complements existing measures including livestock inspection checkpoints, sterile male insect releases, and public awareness campaigns for ranchers. APHIS has warned that unchecked spread could result in significant economic losses and animal deaths, as infestations can kill otherwise healthy animals within days if untreated.
The use of existing DHS drone infrastructure represents a cost-effective reallocation of federal assets to address the agricultural health emergency, according to agency statements.