A Jim Wells County rancher is keeping a close eye on her livestock as concerns about screwworms grow — and it is not her first encounter with the flesh-eating parasite.
Susan Kibbee is taking extra steps to protect her cattle from screwworms, which can infest open wounds and moist areas of an animal's body. All it takes is a moist area for a fly to lay eggs, which can hatch into flesh-eating larvae.
Kibbee said she first dealt with screwworms as a teenager in the early 1970s.
"Of course, they say the most vulnerable are the newborn babies with the navels. And that's what we found back in the early 70s," Kibbee said.
Back then, treatment options were limited. Kibbee recalled removing screwworms from baby calves by hand.
"Actually, I was taking a stick - if I didn't have anything else - and holding the navel skin up and then just pulling them out," Kibbee said.
She also remembers early eradication efforts that relied on sterile fly releases and sample collection.
"I can remember them dropping the little boxes of sterile flies - in little cardboard boxes. And we would pick up off the ranch. I remember putting the larva in the test tubes so that we could send them off," Kibbee said.
Today, Kibbee says ranchers have more resources available to fight the parasite.
"Well, we didn't have a lot of these wonderful tools that we have now. And, grateful for the emergency use of some of these antisepsis insecticides sprays," Kibbee said.
With the latest threat, ranchers are being advised to hold off on branding or dehorning livestock if possible to avoid creating open wounds. Kibbee says pet owners should also stay alert.
"If it's an outdoor pet - make sure when they're feeding them in the morning or evening - to check them all over. Check their ears, check under their bellies, check under their legs. And just be more vigilant," Kibbee said.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will host a New World Screwworm seminar in Jim Wells County on June 17 for ranchers and livestock owners. The seminar will be held at the Jim Wells County Fairgrounds, with lunch at 12 p.m. and the program beginning at 1 p.m. To RSVP, call 361-668-5705.
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