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Mosquitoes Driven From Louisiana Swamps by Hurricane Laura Kill Cattle and Horses

By Ron Brackett, Editor

September 10, 2020

Horses with coverings to protect them from mosquitoes graze in a pasture at Iowa, Louisiana. Mosquitoes driven from southwest Louisiana's marshes by Hurricane Laura are killing cattle and horses. (Photo by Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter)
Horses with coverings to protect them from mosquitoes graze in a pasture at Iowa, Louisiana. Mosquitoes driven from southwestern Louisiana's marshes by Hurricane Laura are killing cattle and horses.
(Photo by Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter)

At a Glance

  • Farmers have lost 300 to 400 head of cattle.
  • The animals die from blood loss and exhaustion.
  • Mosquito spraying programs have made a big difference in some parishes.
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Thick swarms of mosquitoes pushed out of southwestern Louisiana's marshes by Hurricane Laura are killing cattle and horses.

"The population just exploded in the southwest part of the state," Jeremy Hebert, a Louisiana State University AgCenter agent in Acadia Parish, said in a news release.

Dr. Craig Fontenot, a large-animal veterinarian based in Evangeline Parish, told the Associated Press 300 to 400 head of cattle have been lost since Laura hit the state on Aug. 27.

The hordes of mosquitoes bite the animals so many times the horses and cows are left anemic and bleeding under their skin, Fontenot said. The animals also become exhausted trying to get away from the swarms, he told the AP.

"They're vicious little suckers," Fontenot said.

(WATCH: Atlantic Basin Very Busy at the Peak of Hurricane Season)

Vince Deshotel, a regional livestock specialist with LSU's AgCenter, said cattle deaths from mosquitoes are widespread.

"I lost a bull Friday night," he said.

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He met four other cattle producers over the weekend who were having to dispose of carcasses.

Fontenot said the deaths are happening in a five-parish area east and northeast of the area where the hurricane came ashore.

He said only a few deaths have been reported among horses, which often are kept in stalls that can be sprayed with insecticide. Fontenot said a rancher who raises deer lost about 30 of his 110 animals.

Some parishes have begun mosquito-spraying programs, Hebert said.

"The spraying has dropped the populations tremendously. It’s made a night-and-day difference," he said.

Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis parishes are still seeing problems, the AP reported.

Fontenot said mosquitoes have killed livestock before, including after Hurricane Lili in 2002 and Hurricane Rita in 2005. He also said Florida and Texas saw similar problems after hurricanes.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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