The Killer Mosquitoes

On Stephen Perry's ranch near Galveston, Texas, a black cloud of insects settles on a herd of grazing cattle. The cows frantically swish their tails, trying ineffectively to brush off the bugs. One by one the cows drop dead--40 in all. Scientists at Texas A. & M. veterinary laboratories determine that as much as 5 gal. of blood has been sucked from some of the animals, more than half of a cow's normal blood supply.

This is not a scene from a 1950s sci-fi film, but a bizarre aftermath of Hurricane Allen, which early in August inundated coastal areas that were bone-dry because of drought, causing salt-marsh mosquito eggs to hatch. Suddenly the mosquito, slightly larger at 1/4 in. long than the common backyard variety, became a major plague. So far, the insects have killed at least 49 cows and horses but no humans, though several Texans have been chased indoors or into cars by the voracious bugs.

Experts say that the problem will end only with a change in the weather: several consecutive nights of temperatures below 55DEGF will finish off the mosquitoes, for this year anyway.

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