As cattlemen watch the steady parade of new screwworm cases mount, more than a few are no doubt wondering: Isn't there something we can do now to help slow this down?
Thankfully, the answer is yes.
Veterinarians highlighted several of those practices when roughly 1,200 area cattlemen gathered June 24 in nearby Hallettsville for the latest on the parasitic pest's reintroduction to Texas, which came just days earlier when a young calf tested positive for screwworm infestation in Zavala County, just west of Uvalde.
As of July 1, less than a month after the first Texas case appeared on June 3, the number of confirmed screwworm cases had climbed to 31, nearly all of them still south and west of San Antonio.
The following are some of the suggestions offered at the June 23 seminar:
Clean it up!
For starters, find and remove any objects on your place that might injure livestock, said Dr. Warren Migura, a veterinarian with Hallettsville Veterinary Hospital.
After all, the screwworm fly is attracted by the scent of blood. They'll land on an animal, lay their eggs in a wound and then fly off, leaving the larvae to do their damage before dropping to the ground to continue their life cycle and restart the process all over again.
'Now would be a good time to pick up that piece of loose tin you have out in the field, or hammer in any loose nails you might have sticking out around your barn,' Dr. Migura said. 'Fix those stray wires poking out in your loading chutes. Anything that can prevent a wound can go a long way in keeping the screwworm at bay for just a while longer.'
Screwworms don't need much more than a tick bite to infest a host, he said, so check your animals regularly for other parasites, such as ticks and fleas, and treat those as necessary.
Chill out!
If there's one thing the screwworm can't stand, it's the cold, Dr. Migura said.
'You may want to plan your calving season for the colder months of the year — about November to March in this part of the world — to better protect both your calves and your mama cows.'
Cattlemen also may want to reevaluate some of their other practices, such as castrating bulls or dehorning cattle, said Dr. Jacques Fuselier, a veterinarian with Merck Animal Health.
'Sure, there are several effective products out there to help reduce your chances of screwworm infestations, but simply shifting when you do certain things can go a long way in beating it back altogether,' he said.
Another common cattle-rearing practice involves branding and ear-tagging animals. Colder weather can help there, too.
Better brands
For years, fire branding served as the norm simply because cowboys could light a fire and heat a brand almost anyplace.
Those hot brands, however, can also cause unwanted wounds, especially when screwworm is a concern.
'We fire branded our cattle for years out at our place near Fort Stockton,' said rancher Warren Cude, vice president of the Texas Farm Bureau. 'But we started looking into freeze branding our cattle a few years back. Not only did it make what we thought was a far cleaner-looking brand, but it didn't leave a wound like fire branding did. We wouldn't go back now for the world.'
Parting thoughts
If you don't already have a relationship with your local veterinarian — or better yet, more than one — fix that now, before the screwworm arrives in your area, presenters stressed.
While arsenals of products are now available to effectively treat screwworm-infested animals, nearly all require a prescription. Having a veterinarian who is familiar with your operation will help determine which remedies are best suited to your needs.
As Texas State Veterinarian Dr. Bud Dinges stressed repeatedly in screwworm talks across Texas, ranchers need to be both vigilant and diligent.
'The best thing a rancher can put on his cattle is a pair of eyes,' he said. 'When you see something that concerns you, tell somebody about it.'
He also cautioned producers about the plethora of so-called 'experts' now flooding the internet with misinformation.
'We're moving forward with what the best science available tells us we should do,' Dr. Dinges said. 'Use your common sense about where you get your information. There's a lot of it out there that's not worth a plug nickel these days.'
For a wealth of reliable resources on the subject, visit screwworm. gov.
