The Truth About Those Pesky Love Bugs
Love is in the air and we all hope not for long, but only because this “love” comes in the form of a tiny irritation referred to as “Plecia Nearctica” or Love Bug - speaking in nonscientific terms. We all know how incredibly annoying these little creatures can be and even more is the struggle that comes with having to scrub them off of your windshield. Thankfully, we only have to deal with them about twice a year – when the temperatures go up around late spring and again in September before the temperatures begin to drop.
<https://blog.extension.uga.edu>
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out where love bugs get their name from. As you see in the picture above, you will normally see them attached and mating, even during flight. There seems to be no real purpose as to why these nuisances exist, however, we have come to learn that there is one positive environmental contribution that love bugs make. This involvement happens to occur during a love bug’s immature stage. After the grass has been cut and its superfluous has descended to the ground, a covering referred to as “thatch” is produced. This is where the undeveloped love bugs eat and thrive. During this progression, the love bugs will redistribute the crucial and necessary nutrients that plant life needs to survive. To those in the South, love bugs are a familiar sight. These little beings were first believed to have originated in Florida. However after further evaluation, we have come to learn that these bugs migrated from Central America and went along their way throughout Louisiana and even Texas before ever arriving in Florida. Love bugs are like maggots in the way that a female love bug will plant her eggs, anywhere from 100-350 eggs, into the soil. Once these eggs have hatched, generally 2-5 days depending on flight season, the larva consumes the detritus around them. During the warmer months, the love bug larvae will remain this way for around 120 days and in the cooler season, they will remain there around 240 days. Love bugs will only live long enough to eat nectar, copulate, lay eggs and then they will face the end of their lives. On average, a love bug will only live about 4-5 days. Males generally live a tiny fraction longer than that of its female counterpart. Love bugs are a part of the fly family, related to mosquitos and March flies. Love bugs will not sprout their wings until the final stage of their life. Interesting fact about love bugs: They do not fly at night. Love bugs are generally only active during the times of 10:00 in the morning until about 6:00 in the evening. You will normally only see them when temperatures are above 84°F which would explain why they are attracted to highways. Think about it, black asphalt throws off a lot of heat, hence forth the love bug swarms. This would also explain why your vehicle winds up with love bug splatter all over its bumper, windshields, mirrors and windows. Love bugs are also attracted to plant debris that is decomposing. Like there aren’t already enough of these bugs flying all around, mating season happens to occur twice a year. It generally lasts about 4 weeks in the months of May and September. Typically, there will be two generations that occur during this time. Even though they do not sting, bite, or transmit diseases, these bugs are primarily annoying in their existence (if I have not expressed it enough already). If you happen to drive into love bug frenzy, make sure that you wash those portions of your car immediately. As crazy as it sounds, if you let the splatter sit and “bake” too long on your vehicle, there is a chance it will ruin the paint on your vehicle. In addition to the heavy scrubbing that will be necessary to remove the love bug guts, make sure to invest in some car wax to better protect your car from future battles driving through love bug swarms.
9 years ago
Comments
