{"id":1073,"date":"2020-05-11T05:04:41","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T05:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/termirepel.com\/blog\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2020-05-16T06:36:36","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T06:36:36","slug":"pesky-lovebugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.termirepel.com\/blog\/pesky-lovebugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Pesky Lovebugs!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Ahh…..the lovebug! As you drive down the highways, you may encounter a nuisance in the form of splattered insects on your windshield, hood, and radiator grill. The nuisance may occur in joined pairs that are less than an inch long. Lovebugs can be a big hazard while driving. They love to swarm near roadways and as a result, cars that have driven through the clouds of these insects end up with decreased visibility and a need for a serious car wash! Although referred to as bugs these insects are actually flies. These insects often end up splatted on your windshield and front grill. Many of the cars coming off the highway are covered in insect gunk<\/p>\n

They\u2019re more closely related to biting midges and mosquitoes rather than other common bugs like grasshoppers or termites. Their bodies are black with redheads, and they\u2019re usually seen in pairs. The lovebug (Plecia nearctica Hardy) is a species of fly that happens to flutter about as a male and female attached together. Both sexes are a dull black with a red blotch just behind the head.<\/p>\n

Annoying to drive, they can swarm so thickly that driving through a cloud of lovebugs may impair your visibility while driving. There have been claims that the lovebug gunk, when left on the car, will etch the paint on a car. At times, the mating of lovebugs become so abundant in an area that they become a serious traffic hazard.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But why are they attracted to roads and vehicles? Lovebugs are attracted to automobile exhaust that has been irradiated with UV light (i.e., sunlight). It has been proposed that the chemicals in car exhaust, aldehydes, and formaldehyde, are similar to the chemicals released by decaying organic matter.Even heat is an attractant for lovebugs and heats radiating off asphalt may be attracting these insects. They love to swarm on automobiles as it a very good attractant for them.<\/p>\n

Let us look at some evidence:<\/p>\n

Pesky love bugs are back on the Suncoast creating a nuisance<\/h6>\n

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Love bugs are back. (Source: WWSB)<\/p>\n

May 12, 2020<\/p>\n

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – They\u2019re back! love bugs are swarming across the Suncoast. They are here every year, usually for a month around May and for another month around September.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t like them, it\u2019s a lot of work to keep them off our cars, off our paint and off of our windshields,\u201d said Stacy Young, a Myakka Head resident.<\/p>\n

Although they are a nuisance, an expert with UF\/IFAS Extension Sarasota County says they are harmless.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t bite, they don\u2019t sting, they\u2019re here for one reason and one reason only, and that\u2019s to reproduce,\u201d said Carol Wyatt-Evens, a Chemicals in the Environment Agent for UF\/IFAS Extension Sarasota County.<\/p>\n

Bug off! Florida locals complain about ‘extra annoying’ swarms of lovebugs invading the Sunshine State in mating season, splattering cars and sidewalks<\/h6>\n