Flip down your visors, riders, as our Lovebug Season is upon us!
Florida riding always has its share of bugs, but hands down, the Lovebug takes first prize for all of the flying critters we typically encounter on a ride.
Each year, between April and May and again in August and September, these adorable little creatures descend upon us by the millions. Their squashed remains are difficult to remove; they stink and for the motorcyclist they taste...well let’s not talk about their taste.
Lovebug season is upon us!
Amazingly enough, the Lovebug’s life cycles is linked with celestial seasonal cycles of Earth. Adult Lovebugs die after their late summer breeding season, but their young live on. New small larvae will emerge as adults after the spring equinox. If we are fortune enough to have a few cold fronts pass through the Sunshine State or a low amount of rainfall it may reduce the birth rate of the bugs, so we may experience a few less on our roadways. Unfortunately, they are not limited to appearing in large amounts in just the spring but reoccur during their mating season in late August and September but usually in smaller numbers.
Perhaps you’ve heard that Love Bugs originated from the laboratories of either the University of Florida or Florida State University. Not true! The Lovebug which is actually a fly whose scientific name is Plecia nearctica, migrated naturally from Central America along the Gulf of Mexico. It was first identified in southeastern Texas in 1940 and has since spread through the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as Georgia and South Carolina.
Lovebugs appear in spring and late summer
If Lovebugs seem to be primarily on the roadways where we all ride you are not wrong. Researchers have found that automobile exhaust fumes, heat from the engines and the vibrations of the vehicles themselves all attract Lovebugs that splatter against the fronts of bikes, riding gear and our helmets. The results can be nasty, causing both cars and motorcycles to overheat, while reducing rider visibility and damaging our paint. Experts recommend cleaning Lovebug remains from your vehicle within 24 hours to avoid permanent paint damage. Soapy water and dryer sheets are recommended by many, although I’ve never personally tried the dryer sheets. What I have found that works is a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a soft cloth to remove their initial remains followed by soap, water and elbow grease (a word of warning, try a test area before applying the hydrogen peroxide).
Spray with hydrogen peroxide and wash with soapy water to remove lovebugs
Will the Lovebug ever go away? you ask. Well, it doesn’t look like anytime soon. Pesticides seem to be ineffective for the most part, and natural predators in Florida like frogs and bats hunt at night when Lovebugs are not flying! So, just take a not so deep breath as not to inhale a Lovebug, and get used to them as they're here to stay!
Lovebugs - get used to them as they're here to stay!