It's peak hurricane season for residents across Acadiana.
However, hurricanes aren't the only nuisance some residents in Evangeline Parish are concerned about.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), water attracts a variety of mosquitoes and some populations prefer to live near people or marshes.
Paige Spears is a landowner in Mamou and is raising more than a dozen cattle on her property.
While swarms of mosquitoes can suffocate cattle, she believes that's how she lost one of her calves.
"We lost one last week," Spears said. "We think it was either coyotes or mosquitoes, but after the incident last week, I’m thinking it was mosquitoes."
Earlier this week, Spears said she noticed an unusual swarm of mosquitoes making a home underneath her carport.
"A ton of them came in the house," Spears told KATC. "Then, I saw outside they were swarming by the window, so I went outside and that’s when I found billions."
According to CDC reports, West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States and people are encouraged to take precaution.
Here's what experts said you can do to protect yourself and your family:
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents
- Wear protective clothing (e.g. long-sleeved shirts and pants) and treat clothing and gear with permethrin
- Use window and door screens
- Reduce mosquito breeding sites (e.g. empty containers of water)
- Sleep under a mosquito net
