If you live in or are visiting Florida right now, it’s a fair bet that, at some point soon, you’ll notice swarms of black bugs landing on your car, windshield, windows, and home. These bugs have a very deceiving name – lovebugs. In truth, many Floridians don’t love them at all and see them as a damaging pest.
Unfortunately, they are somewhat unavoidable in the sunshine state. Here is some information on why lovebugs are in Florida, when you’ll see them, and what you can do to effectively deal with them to limit the damage they might do to your car and home.
Despite Rumors, Lovebugs Aren’t in Florida Because of Mosquitos: There has been a long-standing rumor that the University of Florida developed lovebugs to control mosquitoes. According to the school’s extension website, this rumor isn’t true.
Instead, lovebugs migrated from Central America and made stops in Texas and Louisiana before they made their way to Florida.
Why Lovebugs Thrive in Florida: Lovebugs enjoy calling the sunshine state home because they thrive in warm, humid climates that are most commonly found on the Gulf Coast. It’s common to see the bugs swarming around Florida’s vehicles because they’re attracted to the gases that come from exhaust, and Florida has an increasing number of vehicles since it is now the fastest-growing state in the country. Why are We Seeing Them Now?: We see the lovebugs between April and May and again in August. The bugs are actually always present. We just see them prominently during their mating season, which lasts for about four weeks.
Do Lovebugs Serve a Purpose?: The bugs can undoubtedly be annoying because they potentially cause property and vehicle damage, but it’s important to remember that they don’t bite, sting, or carry disease. In fact, they are helpful in some cases because they help to break down vegetation, even when it occurs under the ground. They may be a nuisance, but they do have some environmental purposes.
How to Discourage Lovebugs from Your Property: Although it probably isn’t possible to completely eliminate the bugs, you can discourage them. Don’t leave stagnant water in bird feeders or wheelbarrows. Don’t leave out yard debris like grass clippings or fallen leaves.
And as a preemptive, wax your car before love bug season to make it more difficult for them to stick to the paint. Some people claim that placing a bowl with oil and water near places where you want to discourage the bugs will attract them to the bowl rather than your home.
How to Safely Remove Lovebugs from Your Car and Home to Prevent Damage: The biggest nuisance that lovebugs bring is that their acidity means that they can damage cars and homes. It’s very important to remove them as soon as you can before they get “baked” into the surface of your belongings.
According to Florida Today, it helps to let the bugs soak in sudsy water for about 5 minutes so that they are easier to remove. Fill a bucket with soapy water and apply the water to the affected area. Wait five minutes until the bugs have loosened and then gently remove them.
If this doesn’t work or you don’t have time to wait, try the dryer sheet hack. Simply place a dryer sheet in a cup of water to wet it, and then gently apply the wet dryer sheet to the bugs. Never scrub so hard that you damage the surface or your paint.
Both methods work best the sooner you are able to address the bugs. The longer they sit, the harder they are to remove.
If you’d like to focus on prevention rather than removal, some stores sell shields that you can place on your car to try to help protect it.
Florida’s lovebugs can be frustrating, but they’re only here for about four weeks. And you can try to prevent and then remove them – at least until they’re back in August.