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Here are Florida’s nasty invasive species. Why do we have so many? | Column
Our lovely climate allows nasty creatures to thrive. And “python” isn’t the only one that begins with “P.”
 
A Burmese python is held during a safe capture demonstration in June 2022 in Miami.
A Burmese python is held during a safe capture demonstration in June 2022 in Miami. [ LYNNE SLADKY | AP ]
Published March 30, 2023

You probably already know Florida’s climate allows all kinds of nasty creatures to survive here.

Snakes. Spiders. Politicians.

This place is unique. The Everglades is the only ecosystem on Earth where crocodiles and American alligators coexist. It’s like Mother Nature asked God: Should we give Florida a toothy, sofa-sized reptile capable of swallowing a Labradoodle? And God said: Let’s make it a double.

Scott Maxwell
Scott Maxwell [ Provided ]

I mention this because anyone who follows creepy-crawly news may have seen that we’re in the midst of an invasion on three new fronts.

Scientists recently discovered a new breed of disease-carrying mosquitoes has invaded Florida — one that might carry viruses that can infect your brain.

Brown widow spiders are also marching across the Sunshine State. If you’re not familiar with brown widows, just think of the deadly black widows … and then know that the brown widows are the things that take them out.

And if deadly skeeters and scary spiders aren’t enough, researchers also concluded Burmese pythons have decided they no longer want to be contained in South Florida. (You can hardly blame them. Condo prices are nuts down there.) So the pythons are creeping north, which could mean trouble, since the last thing Disney wants is an actual 15-foot python greeting passengers on the Jungle Cruise.

So, what do you need to know? Like, are the brown widows coming here?

Louis Coticchio, the University of South Florida biologist whose team conducted the brown widow research, said it’s hard to know for sure. But probably.

He said they tend to be found in urban areas with lots of construction (which is basically us in a nutshell). The Southern Africa-native spiders hitch rides on imported building material.

Coticchio said his own USF campus used to have no brown widows until a new housing project started. Then, a few widows came in with the material, multiplied and started “slowly making their way across the campus” … which sounds like an IMDB description for “Arachnophobia 2: The Homecoming.”

Brown widows will eat their siblings, which seems rude. And they’re putting a serious dent in Florida’s black widow population. But Coticchio’s team stressed they don’t normally bite humans unless you pinch, squeeze, poke or harass them.

So there’s your first tip for today: If you happen to encounter a venomous spider, don’t pinch or poke it. Isn’t this column helpful?

As for the pythons, they’ve been in Florida for years.

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But they aren’t supposed to be here. The Southeast Asia natives were introduced to South Florida decades ago when a few imports got loose. Over the past two decades, their population has exploded. And they’re now slithering as far north as Fort Myers and West Palm Beach. The latest tracking maps show they now occupy the bottom third of Florida. In other words: We’re next.

The good news is, much like the brown widows, they’re not hunting you down. Snakes spend about 86% of their time resting — much like your typical American male on a Sunday during NFL season.

So just be alert. If you see a python, report it. He or she isn’t supposed to be here.

Finally, we have the newest creature to invade Florida, the Culex lactator mosquito.

These guys come from Central and South America. Now, Florida is used to hosting Latin American visitors. But Florida likes the ones who leave behind their money — not the West Nile and St. Louis Encephalitis viruses.

For now, these new mosquitoes are mostly in South and Southwest Florida. But researchers say that, as the state’s temperatures continue to warm, they’ll likely expand their habitats north.

That’s a theme in many of these scary-critters-expand-their-habitats stories: A warming planet means more invasions. I know some people don’t like to talk about climate change. And if you’re a denier, I’m not here today to change your mind. You’re free to ignore the world’s scientists right up until a Burmese python eats your dog or a skeeter sticks her curved proboscis into the back of your neck.

For now, a good thing to do to keep away all mosquitoes is clean up any pools of standing water around your house. Report the pythons. And try not to harass the spiders.

This opinion piece was originally published by the Orlando Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea website (www.theinvadingsea.com). The site posts news and commentary on climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida.