I drove to and from Jacksonville, FL this week and found the love bugs swarming and flying splat into my windshield and car’s front grill. I usually prefer silence to tapes or the radio and just think about things I need to do, things I have done and other perhaps quite trivial items such as this one. I said to myself, “Self, do you remember seeing Love Bugs when you were a child?” I came home & went to that wonderful source of integral as well as useless information better known as Wikipedia. 

 

The little insect better known as the LoveBug was 1^st written about in 1940 to be most common in Texas & Louisiana, however, by the end of the 20^th century spread heavily to all areas bordering the Gulf of Mexaco as well as GA, SC, FL and other parts of Central America. They are a harmless, non-biting nor stinging bug which prove beneficial as their larvae help recycle grassy organic material and improve the soil. The larvae also eat earwigs, beetle larvae & other pests. The adult love bug does not eat, but subsists on food taken in during its larval stage. Upon reaching maturity the bug spends the entirety of its short life copulating with its mate, thus the reason for the name! Mention was made of the acidic nature of their residue left on our cars and the potential damage to our car’s job and chrome. A hint was even given that dryer sheets could prove helpful to remove the goo.

 

The article ended with folklore that an abundance of love bugs mean an active hurricane season. Florida, it was reported, saw a lot of bugs prior to the 2004 active season. In 2005 and 2006, less bugs and the state had a relatively quiet hurricane season those years. 2007 has an abundance of love bugs so if this predicter is accurate, we may be in for a big blow! Time will tell on that score . . .

 

To read the article in its entirety: