WHILE it's well known that mosquitoes can carry diseases like malaria or Japanese encephalitis, farmers in the USA are finding the annoying insects are killing livestock simply by biting them too much.
Clouds of mozzies have been so thick in parts of Louisiana after it was inundated by the recent Hurricane Laura that they have led to the deaths of horses and cattle, according to the Associated Press.
A veterinarian based in the township of Ville Platte has confirmed that in some cases the animals are being bitten so much that they are left anaemic - at the same time becoming exhausted because they are constantly moving in an attempt to avoid the bloodsuckers.
Some areas have begun aerial spraying to clear the infestations of the biting insects which have been pushed out of local marshes by the storm.
And in a similar vein, residents in the Chinese province of Liaoning have taken to carrying heavy duty umbrellas after a bizarre "rainfall" of what appear to be worms from the sky.
It's postulated that the slimy drizzle (pictured) is the result of the annelids being dropped after they were swept up by heavy winds - although others say the strange phenomenon is actually flower spikes from polar trees.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 14 Mar 23
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