Hate for Love Bugs

By Anonymous -

Hate for Love Bugs
By: Zach McDonald
Love bugs or scientifically known as P. nearctica; from order: Diptera, Family: Bibionidae, and Genus: Plecia can be found in Central America and in states along the Gulf of Mexico. Originally love bugs were only native in Central America but in the 1920s migrated to the states along the Gulf of Mexico. This origin of love bugs however is not well known to Floridians, including me as a young age, who have grown up hearing the urban legend of the love bug.
            The life cycle of a love bug is about four to nine month, where the whole “season” of when they are most prominent lasts three to four weeks when they are in flight. The male and female love bugs have a unique method for mating. They mate for two to three days and are physically attached for that period of time. Once they detach the male immediately dies and the female shortly dies after she lays her eggs. The female love bug lays the eggs on the top soil with decaying vegetation which is what the love bug larvae feed upon. The love bug remains in the larvae stage for about 120 days feeding on decaying plants in the soil. They then begin the pupa stage which only lasts seven to nine days until they are fully grown adults where the males take flight before the females which as soon as the females reach the adult stage they immediately begin copulating.
Love bugs are actually widely hated among Floridians. The insect fly’s very slowly between 5 to 7 mph making it very common to hit them with your car when they are in the adult stage. If one does not clean off their vehicle within a few days the hot Florida weather bakes the dead love bug onto the car and when attempting to clean the car damage can be done to the paint. Because Florida winters are not cold like winter in other places there is very little change in vegetation and animal behavior between the seasons from winter to spring. Love bugs are mainly active in May when this would be considered spring but Floridians generally refer to spring as “love bug season” because there is no drastic change in weather and there are so many of these species present this time of year. “It’s a toss up between tourists and lovebugs as the most annoying creatures that infest the highways of Florida during this time” (Dickey).




            People who are not educated about love bugs view them as just a pest and have no role in the environment. Because of this view of love bugs there is an urban myth about the love bug. The myth is that they were genetically engineered at the University of Florida to feed on mosquitoes but was unsuccessful and they managed to escape and now overwhelmingly overpopulate Florida and are unhealthy for the environment. This however is not true. Love bugs have been around for a very long time in Central America and migrated to areas such as Florida in the early 1900s and are just very abundant and noticeable creatures.
            Not only is this myth of where love bugs came from incorrect but the fact that some think they are just a pest and serve no purpose in the environment is also incorrect. “Lovebugs play a vital part in the ecosystems, according to Evan Siemann, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Rice University. Larvae feed on thatch in the lawn. Through this process they redistribute essential nutrients back into the soil, benefiting plants” (Head). Love bugs are very abundant insects and it would more positively impact local Floridians if they understood that love bugs are helpful to the environment and not just a nuisance that you have to clean off your car whenever you get off the highway.

Dickey, Bryan. “We Finally Know Where Florida Lovebugs Came From.” Things Floridians Like, 30 July 2016, http://thingsfloridianslike.com/the-truth-about-lovebugs-revealed/.
Head, Ricky. “Lovebugs: Messy, but Vital in the Ecosystem?” The Alma Times, 22 Sept. 2014, www.thealmatimes.com/opinion/lovebugs-messy-but-vital-in-the-ecosystem/article_31210126-2657-5961-a9d4-62bad02e7f43.html.
Leppla, Norman C. “Living with Lovebugs.” EDIS New Publications RSS, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, 1 Jan. 2016, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in694.


Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 19, 2018 at 5:00 PM

    Great post Zachary! I have love love bugs now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shannon McLaughlinMay 20, 2018 at 6:37 PM

    I enjoyed the contrast you communicated between the myths people believe and the truths about love bugs.

    ReplyDelete

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