Mosquito Outbreak In Hurricane Damaged Areas Causes Concern For Livestock

By Tobie Blanchard

LSU AgCenter 

(09/22/21) BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU AgCenter veterinarian Dr. Christine Navarre is concerned for livestock following mosquito outbreaks in the wake of Hurricane Ida.  

Hurricane Laura caused a similar issue last year, which resulted in death for some cattle in southwest Louisiana. Navarre said livestock owners should take precautions to protect their animals.  

She suggested spraying the premises or animals with an insecticide approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Animals should only be sprayed with products labeled for use with that particular animal species. She warned owners not to use a premise spray directly on animals unless the label specifies that use.  

Owners can contact their veterinarian for information on products that can be applied on livestock. She said Brahman cattle are more sensitive to organophosphate insecticides. Information on premise sprays is available at https://bit.ly/premisespray.  

“There are many products approved. The best thing is to contact your local farm supply store to see what they have available,” Navarre said. “Follow all label directions for use, including proper dilution. Also, follow all meat and milk withdrawal times for products used in food animals.”  

Navarre said livestock owners should also consider:  

  • Moving animals away from trees. 

  • Clipping vegetation. 

  • Finding areas without vegetation or ploughing up some ground for resting spots. 

  • Moving individual or small groups of animals into stalls or a barn with fans. 

She said blanketing horses can cause heat stress, and fly sheets don’t work well against mosquitos. She also recommended that horse owners have their horses vaccinated against mosquito-borne diseases such as encephalitis and West Nile virus.   

Dr. Christine Navarre can be reached at cnavarre@agcenter.lsu.edu.   

Livestockdon molino