{"id":35362,"date":"2013-03-25T21:15:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-26T01:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=35362"},"modified":"2013-03-25T21:15:21","modified_gmt":"2013-03-26T01:15:21","slug":"giant-mosquito-invasion-expected-in-florida-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/giant-mosquito-invasion-expected-in-florida-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant Mosquito Invasion Expected In Florida This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Giant mosquitos will likely be “invading” Florida in large numbers this summer, researchers say. The mosquitos in question, Gallinipper mosquitos, are roughly the size of a quarter (some larger), and possess a large proboscis that they use for “biting”. The large uptick in their numbers is expected primarily as a result of the significant flooding that occurred in the state last year during Tropical Storm Debby.<\/p>\n

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Gallinpper mosquitos, also known as Psorophora ciliata<\/em>, usually lay their eggs in the dirt near the shores of ponds that overflow when heavy rains come. When there are large flood events, like Tropical Storm Debby, the mosquitos flourish and lay large numbers of eggs. All that is needed for a particularly large population boom now, is a decent ground-soaking rain to hatch the eggs.<\/p>\n

Some reports have compared these giant Mosquitos to “small birds” and compared being bitten by them to “being knifed”. This is a bit of an exaggeration, as Phil Kaufman, an entomologist at the University of Florida, noted to the Huffington Post<\/a>: “Don’t believe everything you read. There is a lot of misinformation out there. These are normal mosquitoes that show up every year; some parts of the state may experience higher than normal numbers.”<\/p>\n