Giant mosquitoes have emerged in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. The floodwaters that followed the strong hurricane, which made landfall in North Carolina on September 14, have spawned thousands of mega-mosquitoes across the state, according to entomologists.
According to CNN, these new giant mosquitoes have zebra-striped legs and are two to three times as big as the normal bloodsuckers encountered during summer. Michael H. Reiskind, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at North Carolina State University said the mosquitoes’ size is noticeable. “Definitely noticeably bigger,” he said. “If you see mosquitoes often, then you’re going to say, ‘Wow, that’s a big mosquito.'”
There is some good news though. This particular species of mosquito, called Psorophora, but commonly known as “gallinippers,” is not likely to sicken any humans. The species is native throughout the eastern United States, all the way up to southern Ontario but pretty harmless as far as spreading diseases go, according to Reiskind. “They can carry dog heartworm, but in general, they don’t actually carry human diseases,” Reiskind reiterated. But he also warned that the bites are quite a bit worse than those of a standard size mosquito.
“In general, they’re pretty rare, I would say, under normal circumstances. But when you get hurricanes, you get such a large boom in the population from the flood that suddenly, everybody notices them,” Reiskind said. “That being said, being bitten by a giant mosquito or being bitten hundreds of times by a giant mosquito can be, in and of itself, a public health issue,” he said. Some people tend to also have more severe reactions to the bites because of the mosquitoes’ size. “It can be truly disturbing. I have an 8-year-old son who reacts really badly to mosquito bites.”
Scientists are now waiting to see what could happen to these mosquitoes if North Carolina get hits by another hurricane, Reiskind said. It could be that all the eggs laid as a result of Hurricane Florence will hatch and the state will have twice the problem it has now, or the eggs may not until after winter, which is not uncommon in a lot of insects. “We really don’t know what will happen,” he said. “This species has not been well-studied in this situation.”
“If Hurricane Michael hits us again really hard, I don’t know what that is going to do.” Hurricane Michael is forecast to bring tropical winds and rain to North Carolina on Thursday. That’s why we need entomologists, he said. “It’s not important till something happens, and then suddenly, it’s like, ‘We need to know this stuff!'”
That sucks !!
_ ?
Looks like Hawaii Mosquitoes!
Rellik
Try hanging out in Waipio valley right about sunset,,,
What does a mosquito look like? LOL
According to some expert these mosquitos don’t spread disease to humans. Some so-called expert also stated bird flu wasn’t a threat to humans. Eventually people started dropping dead from bird flu. Expert or authority are pretty much meaningless, useless titles designed to awe the sheep.
This horrid weather and its after effects are so sad.
Nevermind the weather…. this is what happens when you are attacked by democRATS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrZ6yBmIkac
This is why it’s better to live where it’s cold.
Hurricane Michael hits tomorrow.
It sounds bad, or is it ‘fear porn?’
All I can do is pray for the area and those poor people.
Climate change? 85 Mon. and Tues. by Friday we might get a frost. NO JUST Illinois!!!!
Sgt.
Where I live we have been the recipients of three or four new species of mosquito from China. Some came in with shipments of lucky bamboo? The latest variety comes out in the noonday sun and eat you alive and it carries all kinds of diseases.
I went to school in Florida, at certain times of the year, huuuuuge mosquitos would attack us in class. When they bit you it felt like someone stabbed you with a rusty nail.
In my bug out bag I keep hikers bug netting, one for each family member, available at any sprorting goods store, you can put on over a hat and tie off. I’ve read stories of bug attacks in Alaska killing people in just a few hours. When they swarm they come in the millions, you just can’t kill a million bugs, they will feed on you until you are dead.
One of my pet peeves is not wanting to be eaten alive. When the SHTF the normal balance of nature goes out of kilter and this is exactly what happens.
Yes, for many years I was a bee keeper. I came to understand them, and how to safely handle them. The worst was if the hive was ever blown over in a storm, then even my smoker couldn’t calm them. A cold wind plus the hive in dis array, and they were always angry. You just had to wear thick clothing, heavy gloves, put the hive together, and suck up the half dozen stings you still got to save your hive.
I did have one neighborhood jerk kid who thought it would be fun to knock over one of my hives on a cold day. Oh yeah, he regretted it. Insects operate on genetic behavior little more. They can’t be trained, they just do what they are programmed to do. In a SHTF situation, insect population blooms will be a huge problem.
I love honey bees. If I had a hive I would secure it very well so that would NEVER happen. But that’s me, over building stuff again….
I can testify that yes, these varmits are in North Carolina and yes, they and the ones who are normally here are having a field day and were most worst right after Florence past. Sprayed/removed all standing water, especially in ditches on property.
Where I lived you had to almost wear a jungle type head/face net to go out and I am not over emphasizing.
Better now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcyZ8pnAwcQ
I just killed one of these huge mosquitoes that landed on my hand last week and I live in Dardanelle, AR
It was huge and banded just like the photo
WE ARE IN TROUBLE, NO HURRICANES HERE IN ARKANSAS
Gallinippers, give me a break. They don’t bother you.
We have skeeters in South Louisiana that can stand flat footed and rape a Turkey.
They’re not new mosquitoes. They’ve just spread from Pamlico Co., NC. Their mosquitoes are legendary in the area.