The Invasion of the Body Snatchers Gallinippers

Grass is to hoppers as Galli is to nippers. This analogy works as long as you are not the Galli! In this case the gallinippers are giant mosquitoes set to invade Florida. This is not a blog post about a science fiction movie like The Fly or Teenage Mutant Zombie Mosquitoes either. These monster mosquitoes are the size of a quarter and have a painful bite. They are voracious feeders and can bite through clothing and have been known to attack not only humans but other animals, including pets, livestock, and even fish. They feed (on blood-for the Twilight fans) all day and night unlike regular mosquitoes that are most active at dawn and dusk. Their eggs lay dormant for years waiting for flood waters to enable them to hatch. The up side of this (possible invasion if Florida has an unusually rainier rainy season) is the fact that the gallinippers are not known for carrying diseases like other mosquitoes and the larvae of the gallinipper is also a voracious eater of nuisance mosquito larvae and even tadpoles and other small aquatic critters. Scientists don’t know if insect repellents will work to protect people from the adult gallinipper, but I, for one, hope they do because that fancy net gnat proof suit I bought isn't going to be sufficient. In any case the gallinipper is at least big enough for you to see it coming. Speaking of the coming of the gallinippers, I’m thankful that they aren't migrating to Georgia or the Bahamas soon, although I have a sneaking suspicion (cue scary movie music) they may eventually.