Love Bugs.
We DO NOT love them.
Quite the opposite actually.
That's prime love bug habitat above, open grassy areas on either side of a road. Twice a year, in the spring and fall, the love bugs earn their name by flying around while locked together in a mating embrace. They do this in vast swarms and it ain't pretty.
The grassy medians and roadsides support millions of love bugs just dying to commit lovers suicide on your car. A typical encounter goes like this ...
You're driving along, minding your own business, when ...
SPLAT, ... SPLAT, SPLAT ... SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT .... love bugs begin exploding on your windshield ... not to mention the grill area at the front of your car.
It's not uncommon to see a car pasted solid black in front with love bug gore.
Did I mention that they are very sticky and their little splattered innards eat paint?
Car washes love love bug season, because folks are literally washing their cars daily in a desperate attempt to get the bugs off before the paint is pitted.
They are also attracted to light colors, so if you are stopped and wearing white this time of year ... they will find you and crawl over you as if you were a coreopsis blossom. Last week, I left Katie standing outside a gas station to watch over our JEEP and boat while I dashed inside. She was wearing light colored shorts and a similar T-shirt.
When I came out of the store she was covered in love bugs and just about to wig out on me. (sorry Katie)
They don't bite, but they crawl and buzz. Their bodies are so soft, if you grab one to move it off your sandwich, out of your drink, etc., it will smoosh and leave your fingers with stinky goo.
Love bugs ... who named them that?
I have a name suggestion that I can't print here on this family friendly site.
Thanks for this wonderful post to accompany my breakfast.
ReplyDeleteYou do have rather bizarre critters in Florida, FC. I've never seen anything like this. What else do they do when they're not flying around in flagrante delicto?
ReplyDeleteYou do your best to discourage tourists from visiting Florida, don't you? Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteThose love bugs are terrible...not so bad if you're in a car...but me, I would be on my motorcycle and it doesn't sound like fun being splattered with love bug goo. I wouldn't have anywhere to hide while gasing up either.
I'll have to remember not to visit your lovely state in Sept.
Those disgusting bugs! I notice that sometimes they are in part of the state, and not in other parts, so they must travel around. Case in point, this past summer I drove over to the Amtrak auto-train. We I left west Florida, they were all over, splatting me bad! When I arrived in Sanford, they were no where around. People stared at my car- the front and windshield was black with them.
ReplyDeletenole fans blame uf scientist for their release in florida, not so cause if they had the bugs would only live in tallahassee
ReplyDeleteHey, glad you liked my Blue Curl pic. Took me forever, coz they love to wave at the camera. 8-}
ReplyDeleteLove bugs drive me mad! I have a YELLOW truck! (Won't make THAT mistake again!) Driving across I-10 last weekend, I wasn't following that big truck for the draft. Some of the newer rest areas have windshield washers now. Pretty cool; now if they'd just install grill cleaners...
I can still see through your windshield. You must've just hopped in.
I thought we had it bad with cluster flies, box elder bugs and lady bugs in fall. At least none of those are squashy.
ReplyDeleteYAY! I learned!!
ReplyDeleteI ate and THEN came to your site. I so win. This time.
ah I was just about to do a post on these things right after coming here! oh well. I had my experience with them at Ocean Pond this past weekend...Because our kayak is bright orange, the lovebugs were all over it...and us....and I ate a pair of them (they flew in my mouth and I accidentally bit down on them). They don't taste too good, either.
ReplyDeleteLove bugs -- must be September in Old Florida!
ReplyDeleteOH FC!!! PS!!!!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS ON REDISCOVERY OF THE
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IN FLORIDA !!!!!!!!!!!
Laurahinnj,
ReplyDeleteOh no! Sorry about that. Mushed bugs at dawn do take the flavor out of a morning bagel.
Robin,
They are completely harmless and out of sight when it's not mating time. It's the romance that makes 'em crazy.
Sandy,
I try, I try.
Bugs in you teeth, yuck.
Tuffenuf,
They seem to be a north Florida thing, but then again, I don't get to south Florida much.
roger,
i'm thinking you do too.
Rick,
I battle that myth among my students every year.
Sophiemae,
At least it's temporary. I had just hopped in, ... had the top off the jeep and heading to my son's soccer game. On the way home my windshield washer juice ran out and it was one big smear.
ThreeCollie,
I guess every place has it's unique bug problems.
Mrs. S,
Good for you! You have adapted :)
HTeen,
I can picture your kayak covered in bugginess, because my boat was this weekend.
Betsy, yes, either fall or spring if the love bugs are out.
I had not heard the Ivorybill reports so I googled "Ivorybill in Florida" and it does sound interesting ...waiting for confirmation. Too coooool if true.
Thanks for the info!
An ivorybill in FL? That would be cool.
ReplyDeleteBut lovebugs...yuck...no reading on the envy-meter. Just noticed the box elder bugs yesterday.
Ivorybill anywhere is cool. And yes, there are love bugs in central FL also. The first time my Baltimorian wife and I visited my family in St. Pete it was love bug season and it was all I could do to get her to visit again.
ReplyDeletegoggz: goggleing word verification?
Deb,
ReplyDeleteLOL on the "envymeter"
:)
Mac,
You can't blame her, they are disgusting.
I remember (when I was a kid) my Dad being irritated at lovebugs in FL. But what we call lovebugs here are different critters... so it makes a lot more sense to me now. (Our lovebugs aren't as squishy but otherwise their habits are similar.)
ReplyDeleteHey, good for me. NO lovebugs in Kuwait!
ReplyDeleteRurality,
ReplyDeleteThey must be a FL thing if neighbor states don't have them.
Kevin,
Want some?
Laurao,
ReplyDeleteIf you do miss them send a self addressed stamped envelope.