Why Are There So Many Love Bugs?

Not feeling a whole lot of love for the swarms of lovebugs around your Cedar Park home? We don’t blame you! As they say, April showers bring May flowers...but it also brings Love bug season, as it is commonly known here in the south, as the rain creates the perfect moist environment for larvae to grow and hatch. 

Feeding on pollen and nectar, love bugs (Plecia nearctica) are actually flies. This means that they don’t bite and are mostly just an annoyance, as large multitudes of them make it almost impossible to open your home or car door without feeling attacked at times. Although love bug seasons don’t last long (late spring and again in the late summer), it is recommended that you wash your car off somewhat regularly, as any dead/stuck love bugs can actually affect the paint as their acidic bodies deteriorate. Of course, if you have inquisitive children, then I’m sure you may also have to come up with an “explanation” of why you often see these “honeymoon flies” flying around attached to each other! 

Females can lay around up to 350 eggs, often in wet areas with decaying material. Control for this type of bug starts with cleaning up around the yard as well as allowing proper drainage around your home. Because we use eco-friendly pest control products with essential oils, such as wintergreen and peppermint, our general service treatment will help ward them off as they do not like the smell. Using citrus cleaning supplies inside will also be helpful. Thankfully the lifespan of these flies only lasts around three days, just enough time for them to eat, mate, reproduce, and then they die, so although they are a nuisance, they will go away soon enough. 

Have more questions? Contact one of our offices to see what we can do to help!