There is a new, large mosquito that could invade Florida this summer, experts say. The female galinipper (Psorophora ciliata), a very large mosquito with hairy legs, feeds day and night and is common in Florida."It's about the size of a quarter. ... It's about 20 times bigger than the sort of typical, Florida mosquito that you find," says Anthony Pelaez of the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. "And it's mean, and it goes after people, and it bites, and it hurts."
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I would not go to live in Florida; the weather and conditions that yield huge, lush vegetables, fruits, and flowers also yields huge, thick, hairy insects.
Florida isn't the only place, of course. Any tropical or sub-tropical climate is populated with insects of commensurate size. This is Nature balancing the scales.
Years ago when I was a young girl in Hawaii (where I was born and raised) a huge, thick cockroach *flew* up to me and landed on my chest. That memory has clung to me much as that roach clung to my shirt with its hairy legs. I don't want to be in a place where such large insects live and thrive.
Here in the desert that is Southern California, in the area where I live, I haven't seen any oversized critters and I thank the stars for that. Meanwhile, here is a third comparison picture of the Galinipper mosquito and the regular, common mosquito that we all dislike. They say that being bitten by the Galinipper is like being stabbed by a knife.
Have a nice day.
