Golly! Gallinippers growing

One of summer’s nastiest menaces is about to get nastier for Floridians.

The dreaded mosquito with a wispy appearance and a wicked bite is likely to be demoted on the “things to hate about summer” list. Scientists say it will be trumped by the gallinipper.

A giant mosquito with shaggy hair and a painful bite that is compared to being knifed, has taken up residence in Florida in increasing numbers. Last summer, there was a gallinipper boom after Tropical Storm Debby dumped rain on the Sunshine State. And eggs laid last year could produce the monster mosquitoes if this year is soggy enough.

Oh, yes. Gallinipper eggs can lie dormant for years until floodwaters or rain enable them to hatch.

And while they are in their larval stage, gallinippers can eat tadpoles.

And, unlike mosquitoes that feed mostly at dawn and dusk, gallinippers feed day and night. And they like to feed on pets and wild animals (and even the larvae of other insects).

And they’re 20 times larger than the garden variety mosquito.

Hate them yet?

They make Charleston’s monster cockroaches seem almost sweet.

Almost.