If you ask three people anywhere in Florida, you’ll likely get three answers as to what they are. Three different answers, that is. Lovebugs are subject to a pretty strange rumor as to how they came to be, for some reason. So today, we’ll discuss the ever-present question: What Are Love Bugs?
And this may disappoint some people, but it’s not quite as grand as you may think. At least, they really aren’t some part of a crazy genetic experiment. If you live in a humid place, you may be familiar with these annoying insects. While “love” is in their name, many do not feel too amorous toward these creatures. They show up in late April or May and September, from Texas to Florida, and as far north as North Carolina. While these critters don’t bite or sting, their dense swarms splatter windshields and can even clog radiator grills causing your vehicle to overheat. So what can you do to get rid of them? We have a few natural solutions.
What Are Love Bugs: Overview
The “love bug,” a fly in the Bibionidae family (also known as the honeymoon fly, telephone bug, double-headed bug, united bug, and March fly), is a nuisance any Florida motorist is unhappily more than passingly familiar with. Though these bugs neither bite nor sting, at certain times of the year their sheer numbers transform these innocuous insects into airborne hordes seemingly determined to devil anyone foolish enough to take to the road.
Love bugs are a small black fly with a red thorax (the part right behind the head). Males are tiny — only 1/4″ long (6mm), and the females are only slightly bigger, at just under 1/2″ inch (12mm) long. Their name comes from the fact that they mate while airborne, and you’ll rarely see a lone love bug. The larger females fly forward, dragging their tiny partner backward through the air — probably a good part of the reason they’re such wonky flyers.
The larvae eat decaying vegetation, so you’ll be most likely to encounter the adult on roadways (where the mowed vegetation lies in the sun, decaying) or anywhere a lot of grounds/garden maintenance has been done recently. The adults do not eat anything.
They emerge in the spring and fall, although this can vary by a few weeks earlier or later. The total “season” lasts 3-5 weeks each in the spring and fall. They are most active in the mid-morning and just before nightfall. During the day they tend to find shelter in the shade.
The Myth
Here is the fun part of the question, “What Are Love Bugs?”
There’s a common myth throughout the state of Florida, one that many of my second grade comrades eagerly recounted to me that afternoon, that love bugs were developed in a lab at the University of Florida. According to legend, the bugs were genetically engineered to eat mosquitos but ultimately failed to do so, relying on other resources for nourishment. A few of the bugs escaped, however, and bred rapidly, creating an entirely new species of insect to haunt Florida twice a year. Luckily for us, this species did little harm to the ecosystem, unless of course one accounts for the damage done to the paint jobs of cars each year.
This theory, if examined even slightly, has many holes. For one, it is unlikely that any university, Floridian or otherwise, would believe it a good idea to artificially create a new species and then release it into the environment to see what happens, and that’s relying on the assumption that the university would even be able to engineer a species as complicated as the love bug to begin with. Additionally, though not widespread throughout the nation, love bugs are present in other states and countries. Then they migrated to Florida through Texas and Louisiana from Central America in the 20th Century.
Love bugs are not the result of a genetic cloning experiment gone wrong, nor were they unwittingly loosed from a research facility charged with studying exotic insects. They also weren’t bio-engineered as a natural solution to the mosquito problem, as love bugs do not eat mosquitoes.
There is also a story that they have no natural predators, but love bug larvae have been found in the stomachs of many species of birds. So, essentially, that’s the real answer for what are love bugs.
What Are Love Bugs: Are they infestors?
Lovebugs can be annoying — if you’re sunbathing, they can land on you (which you might not even feel, they’re so small and light) — at which point they’ll become hopelessly mired in your suntan oil. (not an issue if you’re using a ‘dry’ sunblock). They can drunkenly wobble into the pool, or (worst of all) into the beverage you have at your elbow. Not to worry — while it’s not terribly appetizing, they are not known to be carriers of any diseases, and don’t really warrant pitching your drink — fish ’em out and cover your drink with a lid or napkin. The same applied to picnic dishes if you’re having a cookout.
So the answer is no, but they are numerous. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to keep them from coming into your home. For one, keep all your fans on. This will stop them from having a comfortable place to land. As such, they tend to move on after a few attempted landings.
Also, keep your yard trimmed short during love bug season. The larvae grow in the thatch in your grass, so this will stop them before they can really get started.
Wax your car right before their season begins. This will help reduce the effects of splattered insects as well as help prevent them from sticking to the paint. Lather a little baby oil or spray some cooking spray on your car’s hood and bumper. Wash frequently. This will help make cleaning the bug residue easier. Wet dryer sheets also work well to wipe off any bugs that stick on your car.