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Do Lovebugs Put Love In The Air?

Feb 3, 2025

Summary: Love is in the air in February, but real lovebugs aren’t the most appealing mascot for the holiday. This blog explores the lives of lovebugs. Each section is dedicated to a different aspect of these pests, including their appearance, life cycle, diet, habitat, and risks. Romney Pest Control provides long-term solutions for all kinds of Texas pest problems.

Have you heard of the lovebug?

No, we’re not talking about the hit 2008 song by the Jonas Brothers (as catchy as it is). There’s an actual insect called the lovebug that is extremely common in east Texas. It’s one of two types of March flies that are found in the United States. Lovebugs are closely related to mosquitoes and gnats, if that gives you an idea of their pest-like qualities.

Let’s dive into the interesting lives of lovebugs and see why they aren’t the best candidates for a Valentine’s Day mascot.

A Lovely (Sort Of) Appearance

When you look at a lovebug up close, it just looks like any other type of fly. Lovebugs, also called honeymoon flies, are named for their tendency to fly with their mate during the mating process. Talk about a romantic pairing!

Lovebugs are:

  • 1/2 an inch long
  • Dark-colored with a red thorax
  • Equipped with 2 dark-colored wings
  • Acidic on the inside (more on this later)

These bugs thrive in warm weather, which is why we don’t see them during the colder months (similar to other insects). Once the temperature is consistently warm, you’ll see swarms rushing to mate before their short lifespans end.

The Passionate Lifecycle

Lovebugs make the most out of their few weeks on Earth by efficiently mating, reproducing, and breaking down plant matter.

May and September are usually the worst months for lovebug swarms because this is when the adults stay attached for 2 to 3 days for the mating process. Afterwards, females lay 100 to 300 eggs at a time. They place the eggs in swampy ditches and marshes to give their offspring immediate food sources. The larvae go through several growing stages while they feast on dead plants, then they pupate in the soil.

Lovebugs are similar to cicadas in that humans have to tolerate their existence until they go away a short time later. Pesticides don’t work on the bugs, but their lifespans are so short that it wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.

A Loving Diet

All pests like to live in close proximity to their food sources, and lovebugs are no different. They eat decomposing plant matter, dead plant roots, and dead leaves and grass. This makes it easy for them to dine in their immediate habitats. After all, they wouldn’t live in moist, decaying plants if they weren’t going to eat everything!

Lovebug larvae solely live on dead plant material. They eat quite a lot in order to plump up for the upcoming pupae stage. Adults add flower nectar to their diet, so you might see them mingling with other pests in your flower garden. Speaking of which, lovebugs have to watch out for their main enemy (spiders) in these spaces. All it takes is a sticky web to keep the bugs from safely returning to their hidden habitats!

The Romantic Habitat

When we think of romance, the habitat of lovebugs isn’t at the top of our list. They enjoy living next to open roads and wooded regions, especially in damp areas. Their favorite spots are ditches that retain a lot of moisture. Since the bugs are active during the day, they enjoy the warmth of the sun and the wetness of the ground.

Lovebugs are only really seen in southern and southeastern states because they migrated up from the Gulf of Mexico. They’re more abundant when the cold seasons produce more moisture. In other words, the wetter the winter, the larger the emergence during spring and fall.

Lovebugs use their olfactory senses to find areas of decay for their egg sites. Since car exhaust has some of the same chemicals as decaying plants, the bugs follow their noses to live on the side of roadways. This leads them to their doom as splatter on our windshields, which is the most frustrating result of their existence.

Risks Of Endearment

As we said earlier, lovebugs have the largest numbers in spring (May) and fall (September). Cold weather kills off older bugs since they don’t have the protection of eggshells. They don’t bite or sting humans and don’t spread any diseases, as far as we know. So what’s the problem with lovebugs?

Well, the main issues are only apparent to people who drive on infested roadways. Since lovebugs are tricked into thinking that car exhaust is decaying plant matter, they fly in droves across open roadways. This is a big problem if it’s during an emergence. The huge number of foolish bugs slam into the windshields and grills of oncoming vehicles, which is fatal for the bugs and incredibly frustrating for the drivers.

A bug-splattered windshield is more of a nuisance than anything. But if the layer of bugs on the grill and hood is too thick, it can cause the engine to overheat. Also, lovebugs have acidic insides (remember this fact?), so you don’t want to leave them splattered on your car for too long. The splatters can damage your vehicle’s paint when the bugs are baked in the sun!

If you find yourself driving through a cloud of confused lovebugs, don’t panic. Just clean your windshield at your next stop to make sure you can properly see everything. Remember: a lovebug-splattered car is no match for a great car wash!

Enjoy A Pest-Free Valentine’s Day With Romney!

The last thing your Valentine’s Day needs is an unexpected pest invasion! At Romney Pest Control, our licensed team provides targeted treatments for your specific pest concerns. We don’t waste time with inefficient products. Instead, our long-term solutions continue to protect your home in between each scheduled service. Between our thorough inspections and customized treatment plans, we’ll get to the bottom of your pest concerns in no time.

Feel the love this Valentine’s Day by contacting us for a free quote on our reliable services!

Citations

Drees. (1990). Lovebugs. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/lovebugs/

Forest health: Lovebugs. (n.d.). Texas A&M Forest Service. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/lovebugs/

Lovebug season happens twice a year, posing no real threat to humans. (2017, August 22). ABC13 Eyewitness News. Available at https://abc13.com/lovebugs-insects-texas-gulf-coast/2332752/ (Accessed on January 27, 2025).

Lovebugs. (n.d.). Texas Master Gardener. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://txmg.org/galveston/beneficials-in-the-garden-and-landscape/lovebugs/

McDonald, B. (2023, February 14). Lovebugs are actually flies: Did you know? Pest Control Technology. Available at https://www.pctonline.com/news/lovebugs-are-actually-flies/ (Accessed on January 27, 2025).

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