2. 1980 Vampire Swarm of Mosquitoes Devastate Texas Farms
Texas is one of those states that is both blessed and cursed by its geography. Its massive land size and natural resources make it a producer of many products and goods that are used by people in America. Its long coastline that borders the Gulf of Mexico makes it prime real estate for hurricanes. When these massive storms find their way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, the warm gulf waters cause them to intensify dramatically. When they make landfall, they can be catastrophic, bringing not only heavy wind and storm surges but also flooding.
When flat places like Texas flood, the water isn’t usually able to drain quickly; in the meantime, mosquitoes have a perfect environment for laying eggs, which can cause swarms of Biblical proportions. This is precisely what happened in August of 1980, following widespread flooding brought by Hurricane Allen. Billions of mosquito eggs hatched and swarmed local farms with such force that they drained the blood from cattle and horses. An estimated four million bites were required to kill each animal, an average of 5,300 bites per minute for 12 hours straight. The infestation lasted for weeks before it finally subsided.
