Mosquitoes the size of a quarter may plague Florida

Posted on March 12, 2013 by a12iggymom

As if deadly sinkholes and Burmese pythons weren’t enough, now Florida may find itself contending with another summer of giant mosquitoes that pack a ferocious bite, LiveScience reports.

A gallinipper is 20 times the size of a typical mosquito, “and it’s mean, and it goes after people, and it bites, and it hurts,” says Anthony Pelaez of Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry. A gallinipper bite “feels like you’re being stabbed.

What’s more, they may be resistant to bug repellent (the Orlando Sentinel recommends a DEET-containing repellent all the same) and like to strike fish, wild animals, and pets.