From the early 1800s to mid 1950s screwworms cost cattle raisers more than other issues combined and brought wild deer to near extinction from Southern USA to Northern South America. During that period Argentina was to world market of beef what Texas is today. A fly the size of common house fly will lay eggs on a single drop of blood that hatch in as little as 24 hours into worms that begin consuming live flesh in the fashion maggots consume dead flesh. As you would expect the worm activity causes the wound to grow in depth and surface area. More eggs are laid which shortly weakens animal so it starves or killed by predators. It begins on animal's first day of life when eggs are deposited on it's navel. All placental mammals are vulnerable but some are better belly button lickers than deer and cows. Those that are lucky enough to survive until navel heals must avoid nicks from barbed wire, cacti and anything else that might bring blood. Few deer can dodge nicks and cuts for more than couple generations so reproduction is low then the newborn are highly vulnerable. In the mid 50s billions of sterile flys were released from low flying B-26 over FL,TX,MX,and S America resulting in a downward spiral in fertility of eggs laid by females. Due to indifference on the part of Caribbean ,Cntral and Sout American countries they still harbor a breeding population that manages to migrate and cause occasional concentrated outbreaks. FL Keys and Everglades suffered an outbreak in 2016 that devastated Key Deer.
Which brings me to ask how you think being at the controls of those low flying B-26 would effect your pucker string Geohorn? Also did you ever meet Junior Burchinal of The Flying Tigers Museum in Paris TX?
