Screw Worm flies

[hurleyjd]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c ... 38627.html


Sure hope that this does get out of hand. I remember when screw worms were prevlent here pretty nasty. New born calfves had to have the navel cord treated when they were born. Government created a program that bred and released sterile male flies by the thousands and pretty well wiped the screw worm problem out.

 

[cowboy43]

I doubt if many on this board can relate or have had experience with screw worms, they were eradicated in the early 60'S .

 

[Ryder]

Screw worms were repulsive creatures!! Never did like being close to them even to kill them.
Read a book sometime back about two brothers who were ranching together (Can't remember the name or author).
I think they were probably in Texas.
When they had to fight these creatures they would each mount up in the morning and ride in different directions to cover more ground. Anything that needed treating they would rope and treat.
I think of this every time someone thinks they just have to have to have modern trailers, head gates, squeeze chutes to work cattle.

Cowboys did what needed to be done with what they had, that is a horse and a rope.
They didn't understand "can't".

Maggots have sometimes been used to clean wounds in humans by the medical people.
Don't know if that is still done or not. Probably is somewhere.
I don't want to ever be subjected to that treatment.
Ugh!

 

[R.T.]

I was a teenager in those day. aircraft would fly over dropping boxes of stirle flies. we carried a purple liquid screwworm medication I think it was called Peerles and a black sticky paint on wound dressing. First you catch and tie off the crazy long ear mama then mount up and catch the calf.

 

[cowboy43]

My father would put a dog collar on the new born calf and tie the rope to the end of large tree limb , that way the calf couldn't wrap the rope around the tree and the rope would give when the calf walked. The cow would stay close to the calf so it could nurse like normal. The calf would stayed tied till the cord fell off.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Maggots have sometimes been used to clean wounds in humans by the medical people.
Don't know if that is still done or not. Probably is somewhere.
I don't want to ever be subjected to that treatment.
Ugh!

Yes, they still use them in the clinical setting. As gross as it is, it's pretty awesome. They also use leeches to help heal people. Both of these treatments would have to be kept out of my line of sight for me to deal with them. I wonder if you can feel the maggots squirming?

 

[tater74]

Screw worms were repulsive creatures!! Never did like being close to them even to kill them.
Read a book sometime back about two brothers who were ranching together (Can't remember the name or author).
I think they were probably in Texas.
When they had to fight these creatures they would each mount up in the morning and ride in different directions to cover more ground. Anything that needed treating they would rope and treat.
I think of this every time someone thinks they just have to have to have modern trailers, head gates, squeeze chutes to work cattle.

Cowboys did what needed to be done with what they had, that is a horse and a rope.
They didn't understand "can't".

Maggots have sometimes been used to clean wounds in humans by the medical people.
Don't know if that is still done or not. Probably is somewhere.
I don't want to ever be subjected to that treatment.
Ugh!

That would have been one of Elmer Kelton's books about Huey Calloway. The good old boys, or six bits a day.

 

[Reserva X]

I doubt if many on this board can relate or have had experience with screw worms, they were eradicated in the early 60'S .

Reviving the thread as of today I have experience with screw worms.
We live in Panama, BTW
But they are smaller than you would imagine, bit bigger than fruit fly larvae when they start. Will infect something as small as a tick bite. Or vampire bite, which is also a thing here in Panama.
Within 24 hours they ate a hole size of end of your thumb in a leg.
Spent the morning picking them out with tweezers (they hang on, therefore the 'screw' worm,) and spraying with purple spray.

Attaching link I found for treatment and prevention with invermectin, which we have on hand. It effective for 16-20 days which explains why we got a strike at about day 30 after our last treatment.

By the way, My name is Emma, we are in Panama starting an ecological reserve and I joined the forum to learn from all of you. Thank you.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3840994/