Mosquito swarms have invaded southwest Louisiana following Hurricane Laura leaving some livestock dead. The bugs would either bite the animals into exhaustion or form globs in nasal passages, suffocating them. In an effort to protect herds, Ag Commissioner Mike Strain recommends keeping animals in a barn with forced airflow.
“If you have electricity and you have a small number of cattle and you have a barn, put up a big fan. If you have horses, put up a big fan,” said Strain.
Strain says local governments are doing the best they can with aerial sprays to cut down on the problem but adds sprays are available for ranchers to apply to the animals.
“There’s very good product that you can spray on horses that help. Also for cattle, hen, use the livestock sprays to help in that situation, to help knock down the mosquitos,” said Strain.
Reports indicate a large part of the swarm was pushed out of the marsh by Hurricane Laura, with rains in the days following making the situation worse. Strain recommends draining anything that might hold standing water where mosquito eggs may be laid.
“In old boats are stagnant water, your water troughs or whatever, drain that stagnant water out so that you can’t get, again, more growth and secondary growth of mosquitos,” said Strain.
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