The "lovebugs" are here!

The male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen
and remain that way at all times, even in flight.

They are kind of weird because I've never seen them before, but 'tis the season for lovebugs. No, not the cute little VW Beetle in the movies. These are for real, but they're something we never experienced in Indiana/Ohio. The critters do get on our cars and even inside them. At certain places I've seen small swarms of them, but I've been told there aren't as many around as in years past. Here's a some info on the little rascals that I found on www.bugs.com.

"The adult lovebug feeds on the nectar of flowering plants. Upon reaching maturity the lovebug spends almost the entirety of its remaining life copulating with its mate, hence its numerous romantic nicknames. The male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen and remain that way at all times, even in flight. In fact, after mating, the male dies and is dragged around by the female until she lays her eggs.

Lovebug flights can number in the hundreds of thousands. Two major flights occur each year; first in late spring, then again in late summer. The spring flight occurs during late April and May, the summer flight during late August and September. Flights extend over periods of four to five weeks.

For most of the year, lovebugs are beneficial in that larvae live in grassy areas and feed on dead vegetation within the thatch. They are often seen along highways and are a real nuisance to passing traffic.

Its reputation as a public nuisance is due not to its bite or sting (as it is not capable of either), but to its slightly acidic body chemistry. Because airborne lovebugs can exist in enormous numbers near highways, they often die on automobile windshields, hoods, and radiator grills when the vehicles travel at high speeds.

If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become dried and extremely difficult to remove. In the past, the acidity of the dead adult body, especially the female's egg masses, often resulted in pits and etches in automotive paint and chrome if not quickly removed. However, advances in automotive paints and protective coatings have reduced this threat significantly. Now the greatest concern is excessive clogging of vehicle radiator air passages with the bodies of the adults, with the reduction of the cooling effect on engines, and the obstruction of windshields when the remains of the adults and egg masses are smeared on the glass.

Lovebug flights are no longer present in the huge numbers that once existed simply because their natural controls caught up with established populations."

So, there you have it .... way more than you ever wanted to know about lovebugs. But, it may make you reconsider before you call people "lovebugs!"