Mammoth Mosquito Invades Florida

A giant, hairy-legged mosquito capable of growing up to 20 times the size of regular mosquitoes has been spotted in Florida.

Called a gallinipper, the bug swarmed Central Florida after Tropical Storm Debby in 2012 and appears to be doing the same in the wake of Andrea, which passed through last week, drenching the state before heading up the East Coast.

According to Deby Cassill, a biologist at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, the bug originates near the Mississppi River Delta.

“This thing is like a pterodactyl,” she told Bay News 9. “In the mosquito world, it’s huge, and for me exciting; for most people, a little scary.”

Cassill isn’t the only one who could benefit from the bug’s arrival: bug control companies are likely to see an increase in business, the local news station further reported.

Fortunately, gallinippers do not transmit disease, though they are known for a sting that some say feels like a poke form a knife.

Gary Goode of Palm Beach County Mosquito Control told WPBF that, when it bites, the mosquito “practically breaks your arm.”

Furthermore, as University of Florida entomologist Phil Kaufman told WKMG-TV, the species is “notoriously aggressive.”

Capable of biting through clothing, experts like Kaufman suggest not only covering up, but wearing a layer of DEET under and over one’s clothes.

In terms of its name, Doug Carlson, mosquito control director for Indian River County, Fla., said the story he’s heard is that the bugs are so big, “they can nip a gallon of blood with a single blood.”

Seminole County began pre-treatment months ago, spraying in regional swamps in fear that the present scenario would, indeed, unfold.

If there is one silver lining to the story, however, it’s that the bug eats the larvae of their smaller cousins, according to WOFL.