Love bugs - more than you want to know!

Bear with me for this Biology lesson.  I must relate our experience with "love bugs" in May.  This is a phenomenon that occurs twice a year all along the Gulf coast, Spring and Fall and sometimes again in December.  Love Bugs (Plecia nearctic) take to the air and mate in huge numbers.  Our first encounter happened while we were sailing up Tampa Bay toward Davis Island and a swarm engulfed our boat.  They landed everywhere including our sails.   Most of the insects we observed were copulating as they flew.  If they landed while copulating, and most were, the female (larger than the male) would crawl along forward dragging the male backwards behind her.  The females lives 2 - 3 days.  The males live longer.  The literature states that the couple may stay connected for days!  That is their behavior.  Our behavior is described below.

A female lovebug

A male lovebug

Lovebugs on a boat (not ours)

Copulating lovebugs

They are very fragile and swatting at them amputates wings and/or legs that flutter onto horizontal surfaces.  Squashing them with a fly swatter leaves a smear that stains badly and they release an acrid odor.  We discovered that it is better to leave them alone, letting them land and allowing them to enjoy their activity.  We have screens to keep these pests from coming inside the boat.  In the cockpit, I found that I could just gently grasp the bugs, individually or coupled, and throw them overboard.  They would usually fly off after being thrown before hitting the water.  While I was at the helm, a few flew under my shorts pant's legs from time to time and if I shifted my weight and crushed them, I would have a stain on my shorts.  Because of this, I eventually wore my oldest, most frayed pair of shorts.  At dusk, when the temperatures began to fall, these pests disappeared.  The swarming seemed to last about two weeks.  We encountered them in the greatest numbers in Tampa Bay, but we ran into swarms of them miles offshore in the Gulf as well.

Motorists in the area find that their cars become encrusted with crushed lovebug bodies everyday after a short drive.  That crust must be scrubbed off as soon as possible because the bodily fluids are acidic and it will damage the paint.  Mother nature is full of wonders.  Thankfully, some of them are short lived.

Since you read this far, you are excused from the upcoming quiz.  Be well!