7 Insects That Will Bug You This Summer
June 13, 2001— -- intro: Ah, warm weather. Or is it swarm weather?
Here are seven insects you're likely to encounter this summer that are so terrifying – at least to some people -- they should star in their own horror movies.
quicklist: 1category: 7 Insects That Will Bug You This Summertitle: Africanized Killer Beesurl:text: Earlier this month, a Texas man was attacked and killed by a swarm of more than 40,000 bees after he drove his tractor into a pile of wood that concealed their hive.
The bees that killed him aren't the friendly, happy European honey bees we know and love. As James Fredericks, the director of technical services for the National Pest Management Association, explained it, the killers are a product of a scientific experiment gone wrong.
Man Attacked and Killed By Killer Bees
"In the 1950s a Brazilian scientist imported bees from Africa to breed with our honey bees in hopes of upping production and creating a more docile insect," he said. "Obviously, it didn't work out that way."
The bees are now a serious threat in warmer states like California, Texas and Florida. Besides being extremely aggressive, they often attack with an element of surprise from a hive hidden underground, in a rotting log or behind a wall.
Fredericks also warned that most people can't tell the difference between a pleasant bee and a grumpy one, so best to steer clear of all bees unless they've been identified by a professional.
If attacked, run. If you can't find shelter, keep running. Cover your face and eyes and don't swat at them since it just makes them angrier. Don't jump into a pool either. They will hover over the surface and wait out your oxygen supply.
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quicklist: 2category: 7 Insects that Will Bug You This SummerTitle: Giant Mosquitoesurl:text: First Florida was invaded by giant pythons. Then it was giant snails. Now it's giant mosquitoes up to five times the size of the mere mortal pest.
Actually, these "new" mosquitoes are Florida natives, according to Fredericks. "They're known as the shaggy-legged gallinipper, and they've always been around," he said.
Gallinippers are more abundant than usual this year thanks to a rainy spring. Females lay their eggs in shallow dirt divots that are likely to encounter flooding. When there is no rain, the eggs wait it out another season.
They're also nothing to get upset about since gallinippers are less nippy than many other mosquito species and aren't known to transmit West Nile or other diseases. Fredericks advised wearing a little insect repellent to keep them at bay.
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quicklist: 3category: 7 Insects that Will Bug You This Summertitle: Crazy antsurl:text: The majority of ant species love nothing better than to follow the leader. Crazy ants run around frantically as if they're late and looking for their keys. Hence the name.
But the really crazy thing about crazy ants is their sheer numbers.
"There can be tens of thousands of individuals in some of the bigger colonies," noted Fredericks.
Although not entirely resistant to conventional insecticides, their nests are often so populous, they can overwhelm eradication efforts.
