Spring has sprung in Florida, and that means another, more annoying season is not far behind. Lovebug season is just around the corner!
Lovebugs are always present, but females typically come out in swarms in April and May, and again in August and September for the mating season. Although the amount of lovebugs littering the windshields of cars and flying around the Sunshine State during lovebug seasons has diminished during the past few years.
Many in Florida are waiting to see if the 2026 lovebug season will be as quiet as the last few or if the invasive, flying nuisances will come back in swarms this spring.
Here’s what to know about lovebug season in Florida and why some believe the myth that the University of Florida in Gainesville is to blame for the nuisance.
When is lovebug season? Lovebug season in Florida coming soon
Lovebugs are always around, but females come out in swarms in April and May, and again in August and September for the lovebug mating season. Timing on when lovebugs start swarming is typically earlier in South Florida than in North Florida.
Adult lovebugs live for around three to four days, just long enough to mate and deposit a batch of eggs. Up to eight males compete for each female. When they mate, they stay connected and must stick to each other at all times, floating gently on the breeze, often smashing into windshields and grossing out bikers.
But Florida residents and scientists have noticed a decline in lovebug infestation. In recent years, lovebug sightings have dwindled to nearly nothing. It has become rare to see even a few during the season.
The most common reasons for insect decline are habitat loss from human development, failure to adapt to rapid climate change, pollution and pesticide use, changes in spring runoff in aquatic systems, light pollution disrupting life cycles and more, a 2021 study from the Entomological Society of America on the importance of protecting biodiversity said.
A 2022 study from researchers at the UF/IFAS Extension suggests that predators may also have something to do with it. Since funding for studying bugs considered nuisances may be hard to get, we may never know for sure the exact reasons behind the steady decline of lovebugs.
Did the University of Florida create lovebugs? Are lovebugs native to Florida?
No. Contrary to a years-old, very persistent urban myth, University of Florida researchers did not create lovebugs by manipulating DNA to control the mosquito population. Lovebugs are invasive to Florida, not native or created in a lab here.
University of Florida Professor Norman C. Leppla specializes in integrated pest management and biological control and has been studying the lovebug since 1972.
Lovebugs moved up the state in the 1960s, hitting North Florida in the 1970s, and there was an explosion in population growth then that may have been “accelerated by prevailing winds, vehicle traffic, sod transport, increased habitat along highways, and expansion of pastures,” Lappla said in his 2018 paper, “Living With Lovebugs.”
“Not by UF researchers,” he said.
What takes love bugs off your car?
The biggest complaint about lovebugs in the particularly bad lovebug seasons of the past has been that during the mating season, clouds of them have covered cars and windshields with smushed, dead bugs.
The most thorough way to clean them off is to go to a car wash and pay someone to do it. If there are enough lovebugs on your car, they can clog the radiator and cause the engine to overheat.
It’s important to wash them off quickly before the Florida sun bakes them on and not let them build up. It helps to keep your car clean and waxed, to make it tougher for the bugs to stick, and consider a hood air deflector or screen to make them easier to deal with.
Using dryer sheets is often recommended, along with a host of other remedies such as baby shampoo, hydrogen peroxide, soft drinks, furniture cleaner and more. Experiment with caution. But be aware that some solutions abrasive enough to scrape off lovebugs also may damage your vehicle’s finish.
Lianna Norman and C. A. Bridges are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: When is lovebug season? About the mating fly and University of Florida myth
Reporting by C. A. Bridges and Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
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