Love Bugs

Introduction

So many people ask questions about Love Bugs (you might also see it spelled as love bug) that hopefully an Insider Page will help solve some of issues. (Hardy 27)

First and Foremost

Don't concern! Love bugs are absolutely harmless -- they don't bite or sting. They don't spread diseases. They don't eat trash...or mosquitoes -- adults don't eat at all. They are weak flyers, and lurch and flit anywhere depending on smallest air currents. They don't buzz or bang or hum. They can be antagonising, but certainly are no reason to annul or change your vacation plans. (Hetrick 20)

What are they?

Love bugs are small black fly with red thorax ( part right behind head). Males are tiny;only 1/4" long (6mm) and females are only slightly larger, at just under 1/2" inch (12mm) long. Their name comes from fact that they mate while airborne, and you'll rarely see lone love bug. The larger females fly forward, dragging their tiny partner backward through air -- probably good part of reason they're such wonky flyers. Love bugs are subject to some significant natural controls, such as a range of bloodsucking fungi, and dry weather which dries out thatch resulting in higher mortality rate for larvae. (Hardy 27)

As love bug migrated around Gulf Coast, first to Texas, then Louisiana, then further eastward, initial populations for many years were so excessive that they caused public concern and initiated rumors of their origin. However, as pest populations migrate routinely, their natural controls are usually not far behind. While it often took years (as in decades), love bug flights are no longer present in huge numbers that once existed simply because their natural controls (mostly fungi) caught up with established populations. In numerous areas, local love bug air travel may only be present in excessively large figures due to occasional localizedizedized conditions that may not be recurring in successive years. (Hetrick 20)

The larvae eat decaying vegetation, so you'll be most likely to encounter adult on roadways (where mowed vegetation lies in sun, decaying) or anywhere lot of grounds/garden maintenance has been done recently. The adults do not eat anything.

They emerge in spring and fall (usually May and September), although this can vary by few weeks earlier or later. The total "season" lasts 3-5 weeks. (Denmark 12)

They are most active in mid-morning and just before nightfall -- during day they tend to find shelter in shade. The story of associating University of ...