TAMPA – All of the rain that pooled in birdbaths, toy buckets and backyard bromeliads during the past week is about to yield a bumper crop of buzzing parasites targeting your ankles and backs of your knees.
Get ready, insect experts say, the mosquito apocalypse is almost upon us. Mosquito larvae usually take up to seven days to hatch, and the rains the past week have provided plenty of breeding pools.
“For the normal mosquito,” said Phil Kaufman, entomologist with the University of Florida, “this is the time of year they come out. And this weekend, we can expect to see mosquito numbers increase based on (Tropical Storm Andrea) last week.”
Water that stands stagnant for five, six or seven days provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquito larvae, he said.
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