Q&A: What have decades of eradication efforts taught us about the New World screwworm?

The value of basic science in insect biology is no more evident than when a crisis arises involving a devastating insect pest like the New World screwworm, says University of Illinois entomology professor May Berenbaum. In a 2016 essay in the journal Science, Berenbaum wrote about the successful—if temporary—eradication of the pest in many parts of the world. Here she answers common questions about the screwworm’s return.