Love Bug
Paired black-and-red flies that swarm twice a year across Central Florida highways.
Photo: no rights reserved (CC0) · public domain/CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
About 6–9 mm, black with a red thorax. Famous for flying in mating pairs, joined end-to-end, during swarming events. Sluggish fliers that drift with the wind.
Roadsides, meadows, and anywhere decomposing plant matter provides larval habitat. Swarms peak near highways and open fields during their two annual flight periods.
- Dense swarms of paired black-red flies in May and September
- Flies plastered to car grilles, hoods and windshields
- Slow, drifting insects appearing en masse — then gone within days to weeks
Love bugs don't bite, sting or spread disease. The main hazard is vehicle paint damage — their acidic body fluids etch car paint if left on in Florida's heat for more than a day or two.
Love bug swarms are seasonal and temporary. Rhino can treat exterior areas where they accumulate, but the most effective protection is a vehicle wax coat and quick washing after swarming.
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