Lovebugs
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute
Episode Archive
Episode #45 | Original Air Date: May 1, 2020
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Transcript
The slow-moving lovebug is a familiar spring and fall sight to most people in the South. These small black-and-red insects swarm roads and coat cars, usually attached to a mate.
Lovebugs are native to Central America. They’re attracted to exhaust fumes, so they hover over roads and get splattered on your car’s windshield and grill during May and September. Lovebugs like hot temperatures and are only active during the day.
Lovebugs are harmless to people and your landscape. Also the use of pesticides is not an effective method of managing them. Lovebugs' bodies do contain acids that can harm your car’s paint, so wash them off as soon as possible.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ in a Minute is a production of the University of Florida’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program, IFAS Extension, and WUFT-FM in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
