What's Bugging Florida?

     Hum along with me... love bugs on windshields... mosquitoes that buzz you... these are a few of my least favorite things! It's that time of year again when so many love bugs splat against your windshield that you can hardly see and you're slapping mosquitoes from sunset to sunrise. Love bugs aren't so lovely... they can eat the paint off your car, and mosquitoes carry disease. Florida's flying bugs don't have to "bug" you... arm yourself with the information needed to do battle against these pesky armies of insect intruders.

     What else is bugging Florida? Alligators! According to experts, this is the time of the year these dangerous reptiles are on the move — they are looking for mates... and that's apparently hungry work. The protected species that was once on the verge of extinction, are now found in great numbers in just about every fresh-water pond, lake and river throughout the southeast. Although alligator nuisance complaints number in the thousands each year, actual attacks are unusual — only 340 total, including 17 fatal ones since 1948. That doesn't count the three recent deaths attributed to the reptiles this month. Here's what you need to know to stay safe:

• Gator Fact: Brains Are Size Of Cashews from The Tampa Tribune.
• Living with Alligators - Online safety brochure from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• Nuisance alligator hotline 1-866-FWC-GATOR.