Fun times in Florida - big skeeters
From West Palm Beach
station WPTV:
'Gallinipper' mosquitoes: Oversized mosquitoes influx expected
Coming this summer: They're big! They're vicious! And they want YOUR BLOOD!
In what sounds like the plot from a 1950s horror flick, scientists at the University of Florida are warning an influx of oversized mosquitoes known as gallinippers (Psorophora ciliata) is expected this summer.
"Big" is in relation to most species of mosquitoes. A gallinipper has a half-inch long body and even longer legs. The "vicious" part is true, again, compared to other mosquitoes.
"Yeah, it's a vicious biter," said Ken Gioeli, natural resources agent for the St. Lucie Cooperative Extension Service, said of the gallinipper. "They can bite right through your clothing and give you a good pinch, more painful than an ordinary mosquito bite."
Doug Carlson, mosquito control director for Indian River County, Fla., has been bitten by gallinippers and said: "I'm not so sure the bite is all that much more painful than other mosquito bites. The gallinippers are so big they're certainly very noticeable. It can feel like a small bird has landed on you."
They are not an invasive species -- native to Southeast coastal regions; just having a 'good' year for them...
Posted by DaveH at June 11, 2013 10:55 AM