‘Mega mosquitoes’ up to 20 times larger than normal invading Carolinas

GREENVILLE, S.C. (KRON) – Some areas in North Carolina dealing with flooding following Hurricane Florence are also being invaded by some of the largest, most aggressive mosquitoes. 

These mosquitoes, called “gallinippers,” are known for their painful bite and often lay eggs in low-lying damp areas. 

North Carolina State University entymology professor Michael Reisking told The Fayetteville Observer that Florence’s floodwaters have caused the eggs for such species to hatch. 

The species can grow up to 20 times larger than other common mosquitoes and have a sting that is painful enough to feel like you’ve been stabbed, according to LiveScience.com.

Officials say most mosquitoes that emerge after flooding do not transmit human disease but still pose a public health problem. 

North Carolinians have been posting reports of them on social media the past week, including an Instagram photo by Jennings Wright of North Carolina, showing a very large smashed mosquito on her finger.

“This is the size of the mosquitoes we’ve got post-Florence,” she wrote.

A Facebook video shared by Cassie Rulene Vadovsky showed large mosquitoes bouncing off the windows of a car.

“This is insane, you should have seen just before this photo when I first pulled up,” she captioned the video. “Mosquito-pocalypse is in full effect and there is no slowing it down.”