Like, the.worst…ever.
What is a love bug? Other than serving ZERO purpose and offending everyone with their public fornication, love bugs were and are believed to be a complete mistake. The season of the love bugs runs from May (mating season is for four weeks) and then cycles back through in September. Their peak time is from 10am until 6pm and they LOVE temps above 84 degrees.
The Myths
The biggest tall tale I have heard about Love Bugs was that they were created at the University of Florida after some weird experiment. Undoubtely made up from a Florida State fan (ahem *Brent*). This entire blog post here is all about this myth and how deep the misunderstanding goes. Or what about any of these camp fire myths:
They are only in Florida and hate cars. They can’t be killed and nothing preys on them. They love the color white.
So, why? Why are they here?
According to the World Wide Web (which I hear is never wrong)- love bugs have migrated “around” the gulf coast FIRST showing up in Central America in the 1920’s- then Texas, Louisiana making their lame way to Florida. Forever. So what in the world happened in Central America do spawn these worthless two headed bugs?
Thank goodness other states apparently share in our distain for these pointless bugs. Although some believe that these bugs were created to consume mosquitos the proof is not in any pudding. Where you can find love bugs rotting away are in the stomachs of birds, and even more gross is that the larvae is what is consumed the most by robins, quails and beetles. Ew.
“Life finds a way…”
Just when you think that you are done with these plecia nearctica (their real name) and you go back to your normal way of life, you see it. You see one. Alone. Then the sheer terror of when you see one take a mate and then they are flying around connected, for days. The plaegue of love bugs comes in like Moses being denied to let his people go.
Fun fact- the leading love bug is the female. Once she conceives and lays her eggs she dies. That’s it. No purpose, no life goals, except to swarm your days and make the sunshine state into a black abyss.
Die Another Day. Bugs, dang bugs.
I was decorating a graduation party that was outdoors when the swarm came. It was spring 2019 and the day was like any other. A beautiful suffocatingly warm day where the sweat drips down into places made aware that weren’t before. Wiping the sweat from my face and thus smearing a love bug across my check, the homeowner then said she had a solution…
Baby oil. I now own gallons of oil. It worked. Not to anniliate completely- because let’s be honest- they were here before the dinosaurs but clearly after The Fall from the garden of Eden. Thanks Eve.
Here’s the link to the Pinterest miracle that might help you survive your next love bug season and at least keep them from food.
