Florida and the (shudder) Gallinippers.

[Camy]

As predicted, mega-mosquitoes -- known as gallinippers -- have arrived in Central Florida.

Gallinippers, which are 20 times the size of a typical mosquito and pack a painful bite, have been spotted in Seminole County, according to officials.

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"You're not going to encounter them as much [as other mosquitos] but when you do... it's going to get your attention," he said. "When one of them lands on you... it looks like something out of a science fiction film."

The gallinipper, which is native to the entire eastern half of North America, can be up to 20 times the size of the typical Asian tiger mosquito and grow to the size of a quarter. Like other biting mosquitos, it's the females who are out for blood, because they need it for the protein to produce their eggs. Cone says the bad news is, they prefer mammals like us.

"It's about like a wasp sting," he said. "It would feel that way when one of them bites you."

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Florida is right off my list of places to visit.

[The Pecman]

I grew up in Florida and lived there for 22 years. They do have some really, really, really big mosquitos and bugs in that state. Tampa had a pretty bad insect population when I lived there, and I was told by my parents that it was because of the banana boats that came into the port every week. Apparently, a lot of weird South American insects hitched a ride with the bananas and fruit on board.

If you think those mosquitos are bad, you should've seen the cockroaches: I've seen them 3 or 4 inches across, easy.

[Cole Parker]

Any truth to the rumor they're being bred in Florida so they can be cultivated and shipped off to the Middle East?

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