Officials discuss using Chase Field hangar to host sterile screw‑worm fly facility, timeline 'several years'

At the Aug. 11 Bee County Commissioners Court meeting, Commissioner Lenny described a recent visit by state and industry officials to Chase Field to evaluate the site as a possible host for a sterile screw‑worm fly production facility.

Lenny told the court that the main production facility now is in Panama and that representatives who produce sterile flies toured Chase Field’s hangar. “One thing that came out of the meeting, it takes several years. Okay. We’re going to build a facility. Inside that hangar are a multitude of blocked off buildings inside the hangar. They're as big as this room, completely blocked off. They said we could start using those almost immediately to raise these rootworm flies and the larvae because it's already here while we're building a new building,” he said.

Why it matters: screw‑worm infestation can kill livestock and has substantial agricultural and animal‑health impacts; county leaders said hosting a production site could strengthen regional response capability.

Meeting details: Lenny said staff from U.S. and state offices, ‘‘Senator Cornyn’s office was there,’’ and others familiar with sterile‑fly production attended the tour. He said the concept remains preliminary, that building a permanent facility would likely take years, and that County and state officials have not finalized a commitment. Lenny also recounted a policy debate about responses to a screw‑worm outbreak; he said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller favored bait-and‑pesticide approaches, and some participants worried that non‑target insects and animals would be harmed.

No formal vote or contract was reported at the Aug. 11 meeting; commissioners received an informational briefing and discussed next steps.