Mosquitoes kill livestock in Louisiana

Swarms of mosquitoes have killed cows, deer, horses and other livestock in Louisiana after rain from Hurricane Laura led to an increase in the population of these insects. Writes about it USA Today.

Photo: Shutterstock

According to Louisiana State University, thousands of mosquitoes attacked bull-sized animals, sucking their blood and forcing the massive creatures to run in the summer heat until they are exhausted.

While recent aerial spraying efforts have helped bring the mosquito outbreak under control, residents and animals in part of the state have encountered clouds of blood-sucking insects in the days after Category 4 hurricane Laura hit the state on August 27.

Dr Craig Fontenot, a large animal veterinarian in Ville Platte, estimates that farmers near the storm hit between 300 and 400 head of cattle.

Jeremy Hebert, AgCenter LSU agent in Acadia County, said residents of coastal and marshy areas are used to mosquitoes and expect their numbers to increase after heavy rain. But the scale of this outbreak was much larger than Hebert had expected: "I've never seen anything like it."

This type of mosquito rarely carries human disease, said Christine Navarre, LSU AgCenter veterinarian.

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But people in the area need to take precautions at the peak of the outbreak, Hebert said. He recalls wearing long shirts and trousers to cover his skin and running to his barn to avoid mosquito clouds. If he went outside with bare skin, insects quickly covered the entire unprotected area.

“As soon as you step outside, your feet will turn black from so many mosquitoes,” Hebert said.

While humans could dress, hide indoors, or simply ward off insects, livestock was virtually defenseless against the swarm.

Cattle "can't escape mosquitoes," Navarre said. Some of the surviving animals may face ongoing health problems, such as weight loss or susceptibility to disease.

Insects remain a major problem in Calcasier and Jefferson Davis counties, although spraying has slightly reduced the danger, according to AgCenter agent Jimmy Moe.

Livestock deaths from mosquitoes are not a new phenomenon. Fontenot said they also occurred after Hurricane Lily in 2002 and Hurricane Rita in 2005. Florida and Texas had similar problems after hurricanes, he said.

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