Many people avoid planning a Florida vacation during hurricane and tourist season. However, love bug season is another time you should avoid. Consider yourself lucky if you have never experienced the plague of bugs in Florida.
These critters show up in swarms a few times a year and can drive you crazy. If possible, plan your trip around them. Unfortunately, Floridians have no choice but to prepare for battle.
Today, we’re going to tell you how to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the love bugs in Florida.
What are Florida love bugs?
Love beetles look similar to another flying insect found in most parts of the country: the firefly or lightning bug. They are about the same size and have a similar shape, but lovebugs lack the blinking hind end. Despite their tiny size, they can be quite a nuisance.
These pesky creatures appear a few times a year. They are mainly active during the day and feed on the nectar of flowers.
They usually appear in large swarms, which often causes motorists to run over them while driving. In Florida, it is common to see vehicles with grilles covered with swarms of love bugs.
When do love bugs make an appearance in Florida?
Love bugs generally emerge in Florida during two seasons, late spring and early fall. The spring love bug season begins in late April or May and lasts several weeks.
The fall love bug season, on the other hand, begins in late August or early September and may last until October.
However, the season of love bugs can vary from year to year. Many factors contribute to when and where they occur.
In addition, these same factors have a significant impact on how many they appear. Unfortunately, some seasons are worse than others.
Which states have love bugs?
While love bugs are most common in Florida, they are also found throughout the southeastern United States. They thrive in warm and humid climates.
Outside of Florida, they can also be found in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
As mentioned earlier, many factors contribute to when and where vermin occur. Unfortunately, you can live in one of these states for years and never see or touch a bug. However, if you have experienced a few love bug seasons, you are not missing much.
Are love bugs harmful?
Fortunately, love bugs are not harmful to humans or pets. They do not bite, do not sting, and do not pose a threat. In fact, they usually don’t care much for humans. However, although they do not pose a threat, many find them quite annoying.
They often linger on the sides of buildings and vehicles, looking for warmth and light.
They are not usually attracted to any particular color, but are best seen on white surfaces. If you have a white vehicle, house or business, they will stick out like a sore thumb.
Do love bugs have a purpose?
As frustrating as these flying insects can be, they do serve a purpose. Love bugs play an important role in the ecosystem of Florida and other regions.
They are an easy food source for many animals. A swarm of love bugs is like a buffet for hungry birds, bats, spiders, ants and wasps.
In addition, love beetles are excellent pollinators for various plants. In their search for food, love beetles also eat dead plant material and animals. This helps to speed up the decomposition process.
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How to prepare for love bugs in Florida
Love bugs are unfortunately an unavoidable part of life in Florida. There’s nothing you can do to ward them off, but you can prepare for them. Let’s look at a few ways you can prepare for bugs in Florida.
Wash and wax your car
Wash and wax your car before they show up. This will create a barrier between them and your vehicle. If you do it right, it should be fairly easy to remove them from your car. However, if you don’t wash and apply a fresh coat of wax, the hot Florida sun could bake them to the front of your vehicle.
Install an insect screen
If you’ve ever seen a car with a mesh or screen on the front, it’s to protect the paint of the vehicle. You can usually find these at car dealerships and on Amazon. Just make sure it is compatible with your vehicle and fits well.
These grills prevent the bugs from attaching themselves to the surface of your vehicle or the grill. It can be difficult to get their guts out of the tiny crevices. Fortunately, these grills make it easier.
Keep your windshield washer fluid full
You never know when you’ll drive through a swarm of love bugs in Florida. When that happens, their guts can splatter all over your windshield and make it difficult to see. Make sure the windshield washer fluid reservoir is always full so you can spray and wipe the windshield clean.
You may not normally have a jug of washer fluid in your trunk, but it’s a good idea. You may need to fill it up more often if the swarms are particularly dense where you live in Florida.
Fortunately, windshield washer fluid has a pretty long shelf life and it’s always good to have it on hand.
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Wash your car regularly
Last but not least, wash your car regularly. You don’t want the insect residue to stay on your car’s paint for too long.
These insects can have a high acid content that will severely attack the paint. If you let them sit on your vehicle, they will attack the protective coatings and eventually the paint.
If you want your vehicle to look like new and be in good condition, you should wash it frequently during the love bug period. If you’re driving down the highway through a swarm of them, it’s not a bad idea to hose them off or wipe them down when you get home.
Preparing for love bug season
With a little preparation and preventative measures, you and your vehicle will survive the lovebugs in Florida. Take the time to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the infestation.
You will usually see one or two specimens hovering in the air before the large swarms arrive. It is best to start planning as early as possible to prepare for the invasion.
Have you experienced swarms of these insects?