Not just a cute name for your significant other, lovebugs are a common and annoying landscape problem. Once they are out and swarming, they are nearly everywhere and impossible to avoid. First discovered in Florida in the 1940’s, lovebugs are easily identified by
the red spots just behind their heads and the fact that they often travel, attached, as a pair, giving them their distinctive nickname. They give off a slightly acidic smell because of their body chemistry. When they swarm, they really swarm! If you have noticed swarms in your area in March before, chances are high the swarm will be even larger this spring. In some areas, the swarms are so significant that they can even impede driving!
While they are annoying house guests, they do not sting or bite. But they can actually cause damage in certain situations. If your car is swarmed with lovebugs, they can cause damage to the paint. In extreme swarms, lovebugs have even been known to clog up the radiators!
What Can Be Done?
While insecticides can kill an occasional lovebug, widespread use with neither deter nor prevent their swarming. Unfortunately, they are a seasonal pest and insecticides don’t work to prevent their swarming. The best way to deal with them is by mechanical means of control, such as using a fan to blow the pest away, as they can not fly in the strong breeze. Keeping doors and windows closed is another way of ensuring they don’t enter your home. While they don’t actually want to be in your house, they fly in a rather haphazard manner and have been known to hitch a ride on a grocery bag or backpack. You can also consider your own property’s attractiveness-level: if your grass is thick and spongy with excessive thatch (dead grass clippings settled at the root level), lady lovebugs will be attracted to the rotting organic matter and lay their eggs in the warm, damp vegetation. Another way to deal with their swarms on the roadways is to keep up with the wax on your car so that when they do hit the paint, they will be easier to remove. You may even decide to spray the front and side mirrors with cooking wax before driving on highways, where they have a tendency to congregate, due to their natural attraction to automotive emissions.
Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to prevent lovebugs but we can help you identify any problems in your yard that may be providing an attractive breeding ground. Call us today for a Free Inspection and no-obligation estimate for our Lawn, Termite or Pest Control services.