Plenty of people have described Hurricane Harvey as a disaster of biblical proportions, and it seems the next plague is upon us. It’s not locusts. Thanks to untold quantities of filthy standing water, millions of mosquitos are starting to hatch. And yes, they do bite. They love to bite. 
 
 
 
 A little bit of itch isn’t what folks in Texas are afraid of, however. Public health officials warn that the surge in the mosquito population caused by the flooding could lead to a spike of mosquito-borne illness. As the Centers for Disease Control explained in a recent advisory, the mosquito population increases dramatically after a major flooding event as dormant eggs hatch. These so-called floodwater mosquitoes are a different breed than those that would typically carry dangerous diseases, however. 
 
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 “Most of these mosquitoes are considered nuisance mosquitoes and will not spread viruses,” said the CDC. “However, some types of mosquitoes could spread viruses like Zika, dengue, or West Nile.” 
 
 Before we get into the threat of disease, let’s have a look at what large populations of nuisance or floodwater mosquitoes look like. This video was filmed near Refugio, Texas: 
 
 That looks like a nuisance indeed! Without that netting, the worker’s face would undoubtedly be covered with mosquitoes and—what’s worse—mosquitoes that like to bite. Meanwhile, someone posted this horror show to the Houston subreddit: 
 
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 And the follow up is actually worse: 
 
 Considering these images, calling these bugs a “nuisance” seems like an understatement. Dr. Charles Allen, an associate professor of entomology at Texas A&M, uses more colorful language to describe the behavior of the post-flood mosquito populations. They are definitely rude little bastards, but for now, they’re probably not deadly. 
 
 
 
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 “There will soon be a lot of mosquitoes and they will be very noticeable, because of their sheer numbers and because they are vicious biters,” Dr. Allen said in a press release. “It’s important to realize though that as unpleasant as these will be, they are not a species that typically transmits disease. So at least in the short-term, it’s not a Zika issue and it’s not a West Nile Virus issue.” 
 
 Over time, the threat of West Nile and Zika will unfortunately come back, and it might do so with a vengeance. West Nile, specifically, is a concern. The virus has been in Texas at least since 2002, and last year, there were 370 recorded cases. And while the floodwater mosquitoes will be a conspicuous pain in the ass for the next few weeks in the areas affected by Harvey, the more dangerous mosquitoes will eventually come back, perhaps with a vengeance. For instance, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the West Nile Virus wasn’t a major problem for New Orleans, but the following year saw twice as many cases in the area than were recorded before the storm. 
 
 Texans can do their best to temper the mosquito explosion for now by eradicating any standing water that could become a breeding ground. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to wear long sleeves and pants. A good douse of DEET will also help. If all else fails, just stay inside and keep the windows closed. Because based on the images coming out of Texas, the mosquitoes will find you when you go outside. And they will bite you. ||||| CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. ||||| HOUSTON (Reuters) - Texas has launched aerial attacks on mosquitoes swarming coastal regions of the state and threatening to spread disease and hinder disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. 
 
 Home owners return to their neighborhood as flood waters recede in the aftermath of tropical storm Harvey on the west side of Houston, Texas, U.S., September 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake 
 
 U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo planes began spraying insecticides over three eastern Texas counties over the weekend and will expand to other areas over the next two weeks, officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said. About 1.85 million acres have been treated as of Tuesday, according to the department. 
 
 Officials hope the spraying can avoid outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases. Texas reported 441 human cases of West Nile virus and 21 deaths since the start of 2016, according to figures released on Tuesday. It reported 342 cases of Zika virus during the same period, including one likely spread by a mosquito bite this year. 
 
 Most mosquitoes that appear after floods are not the disease-carrying varieties but can hurt recovery operations by swarming residents and disaster workers during cleanup efforts, said DSHS spokesman Chris Van Deusen. 
 
 Harris County, the state’s most populous county and home to Houston, is expected to begin night-time spraying soon, said Dr. Mustapha Debboun, director of the Mosquito and Vector Control division of Harris County Public Health. 
 
 “Under the circumstances, when you have a hurricane of a magnitude like this, we would like them to spray the whole county ... everyone was affected,” Debboun said. 
 
 Harris County identified areas with dense mosquito groupings and dispatched fogging trucks every night since Sept. 4. Typically, trucks are sent only to areas with disease-carrying mosquito populations, he said. 
 
 Harvey plowed into Houston last month, killing at least 70 people and causing about $180 billion in damages, largely through flooding. Trillions of gallons of water fell on the region and led to a surge in mosquitoes, prompting officials to seek U.S. Air Force help. 
 
 The C-130 cargo planes operating from an air force base in San Antonio joined two smaller aircraft that sprayed in south Texas last week. The big planes also were used to help control mosquitoes after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav. 
 
 In Jefferson County on the eastern Texas coast, aerial spraying began Sunday and could end Tuesday, the county’s mosquito control division director told Reuters. Residents were alerted to the flights and beekeepers were asked to cover hives, he said. 
 
 State officials urged residents to dispose of standing water, use repellant and wear long-sleeved clothing outdoors.
– Texas has sicced the Air Force on a post-Hurricane Harvey enemy: mosquitoes. As of Tuesday, 1.85 million acres (that's about 1% of the state) had been coated with insecticides via Air Force C-130 cargo planes. The planes had at that point sprayed three eastern counties, with plans to expand their footprint over the next two weeks. Reuters says officials are hoping the effort will tamp down on mosquito-carried diseases like West Nile and Zika, though a rep for the Texas Department of State Health Services says the mosquitoes that tend to materialize after floods aren't usually carriers. What they are: nuisances. That's the word the CDC uses in its Mosquitoes & Hurricanes alert, which agrees that the issue here really isn't disease (though those types of mosquitoes can be a problem a month or two later in areas that didn't flood but saw a big uptick in rainfall). During post-hurricane flooding, "mosquito eggs laid in the soil by floodwater mosquitoes during previous floods hatch. This results in very large populations of floodwater mosquitoes. ... Large numbers of nuisance mosquitoes can affect recovery efforts." How large? Gizmodo has some photos that might make you shudder.