NORTH CAROLINA – In the wake of Hurricane Florence, North Carolina has become home to some very large mosquitoes being described as “aggressive, monstrous pests with stripes on their legs” by USA Today.
North Carolina State University entomologist Michael Waldvogel told USA Today the large pests are called “Gallinippers” or “Psorophora ciliata.”
They can be three times as large as average mosquitoes. The floodwaters after Hurricane Florence can cause dormant eggs to hatch, spiking their population into the billions.
North Carolina resident Cassie Vadovsky posted a video to Facebook showing a swarm of the blood-thirsty insects outside her car at her home.
Vadovsky’s video has been viewed more than 260,000 times.
Experts told USA Today they expect the current plague of mosquitoes to die down in the coming weeks as the weather gets colder.
