gladtobehere
05-16-2007, 06:22 AM
One of the notable features of JazzFest second weekend were the Love Bugs. If you are gonna have a lot of bugs at Fest they might as well be Love Bugs cause its all about the love. :D
Being from the South I was pleased to be the unofficial Love Bug Ambassador for the weekend whenever the converstation presented itself "Ew, what is that two headed bug?" "What are these things, are they dangerous?" or anyone else just generally freaked out by them and swatting them as if their life depended on it.
Question: This was my first Fest - have the Love Bugs been in attendance in years past?
For future reference - everything you would want to know about Love Bugs:
What: The small, non-biting insects that are noticed only when they briefly take flight twice a year to mate in mid-air. Their scientific name is Plecia nearctica Hardy.
Size: Male lovebugs are about a quarter of an inch long; females are about a third of an inch long. Females are larger because about 70 percent of their bodies are ovaries.
Habits: They're attracted to vehicle exhaust fumes and to daytime heat. Also, hot engines and car vibrations may attract them. Their bodies can clog radiator fins, causing overheating. Lovebugs have no natural predators in Florida.
Life cycle: Virtually all their lives are spent underground. Only in the spring and fall do they merge with wings to mate. Within days, the females die, but not until each one lays up to 350 eggs for the next generation. Each flight lasts four to five weeks.
Origin: They migrated here from the American tropics about 60 years ago, first appearing in Pensacola in the 1940s and arriving on the Treasure Coast in the late 1960s or early 1970s. By 1975, they had spread all across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Stuck together: Not all conjoined lovebugs are in the act of mating. If the male is turned backward on the female, they've already mated, and he's trying to keep other suitors away. Lovebug reproduction is a process of "sperm precedence," meaning the last male to have sex with the female is always the father.
Function in nature: Larvae eat decaying leaves, creating organic matter; and adults feed on nectar, helping pollinate plants.
University of Florida
CLEANING UP THE MESS
• Drive at night or in the early morning to avoid the bugs. They are most active after mid-morning in bright sunlight when temperatures rise to around 80 degrees.
• Avoid turning on windshield wipers. This will just create a slurry of bug parts.
• When going through a bug-infested area, take along a gallon of water and window squeegee to remove them.
• A coat of fresh wax or baby oil helps keep them from sticking to the front hood, grill or bumper.
• Some effective commercial cleaning products are Super Clean, Simple Green and Spray 'n Wash.
• Stores sell deflector shields and protective screens for mounting on front of vehicles.
University of Florida
Being from the South I was pleased to be the unofficial Love Bug Ambassador for the weekend whenever the converstation presented itself "Ew, what is that two headed bug?" "What are these things, are they dangerous?" or anyone else just generally freaked out by them and swatting them as if their life depended on it.
Question: This was my first Fest - have the Love Bugs been in attendance in years past?
For future reference - everything you would want to know about Love Bugs:
What: The small, non-biting insects that are noticed only when they briefly take flight twice a year to mate in mid-air. Their scientific name is Plecia nearctica Hardy.
Size: Male lovebugs are about a quarter of an inch long; females are about a third of an inch long. Females are larger because about 70 percent of their bodies are ovaries.
Habits: They're attracted to vehicle exhaust fumes and to daytime heat. Also, hot engines and car vibrations may attract them. Their bodies can clog radiator fins, causing overheating. Lovebugs have no natural predators in Florida.
Life cycle: Virtually all their lives are spent underground. Only in the spring and fall do they merge with wings to mate. Within days, the females die, but not until each one lays up to 350 eggs for the next generation. Each flight lasts four to five weeks.
Origin: They migrated here from the American tropics about 60 years ago, first appearing in Pensacola in the 1940s and arriving on the Treasure Coast in the late 1960s or early 1970s. By 1975, they had spread all across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Stuck together: Not all conjoined lovebugs are in the act of mating. If the male is turned backward on the female, they've already mated, and he's trying to keep other suitors away. Lovebug reproduction is a process of "sperm precedence," meaning the last male to have sex with the female is always the father.
Function in nature: Larvae eat decaying leaves, creating organic matter; and adults feed on nectar, helping pollinate plants.
University of Florida
CLEANING UP THE MESS
• Drive at night or in the early morning to avoid the bugs. They are most active after mid-morning in bright sunlight when temperatures rise to around 80 degrees.
• Avoid turning on windshield wipers. This will just create a slurry of bug parts.
• When going through a bug-infested area, take along a gallon of water and window squeegee to remove them.
• A coat of fresh wax or baby oil helps keep them from sticking to the front hood, grill or bumper.
• Some effective commercial cleaning products are Super Clean, Simple Green and Spray 'n Wash.
• Stores sell deflector shields and protective screens for mounting on front of vehicles.
University of Florida