If you’ve stepped outside in Tallahassee lately, you already know.
They’re back.
They’re on the car. They’re on the porch. They’re floating through the yard. They’re attached to each other while flying directly toward your face.
Yep. It’s lovebug season in North Florida — and this September seems to be a particularly annoying one.
The good news? They don’t bite, sting or spread disease. The better news? This doesn’t last forever.
The bad news?
Your car is probably going to look disgusting for a few weeks.
When Is Lovebug Season in Florida?
Florida generally gets two major lovebug seasons each year.
- Spring: April through May
- Late summer: August through September
September is traditionally one of their big months in North Florida, so what we’re seeing around Tallahassee right now isn’t unusual — even if some years are noticeably worse than others.
The huge numbers don’t stick around all season, either. Individual adult lovebugs live only a few days, and the really noticeable swarms generally last only a few weeks in a particular area.
So when it feels like Tallahassee has suddenly been taken over, remember: we’re basically seeing a whole generation emerge, find a mate and reproduce at roughly the same time.
Why Are There SO Many Lovebugs All of a Sudden?
Most of the year, you barely notice them.
That’s because lovebugs spend much of their lives in the immature larval stage. The larvae live around decaying vegetation and organic material, where they actually do something useful by helping break it down.
Then a whole bunch reach adulthood around the same time.
And that’s when the lovebug apocalypse begins.
The adults emerge, mate and disperse. Since mating pairs stay attached — sometimes for days — we get those unmistakable little double-decker bugs floating around everywhere.
First Things First: Lovebugs Aren’t Dangerous
They are incredibly annoying.
But dangerous? Nope.
Lovebugs don’t bite. They don’t sting. They aren’t poisonous, and they aren’t known for spreading disease to people or pets.
So if your yard suddenly looks like a lovebug singles convention, you don’t need to spray everything in sight.
In fact, spraying isn’t particularly effective. You may kill the bugs immediately around you, but more simply drift in from surrounding areas.
Why Do Lovebugs LOVE Your Car?
This is where things get interesting.
Lovebugs aren’t plotting against your white SUV — although it certainly feels that way.
They’re attracted to heat and to some of the compounds associated with vehicle exhaust. They also tend to congregate near roadways, and their mating flights happen at about the perfect height to meet the front of your car.
Highway speeds plus thousands of slow-moving lovebugs equals the familiar Florida windshield massacre.
They can also be attracted to light-colored surfaces, which may explain why some vehicles seem absolutely covered while another nearby doesn’t look quite as bad.
DO: Get Lovebugs Off Your Car Quickly
This is probably the most important lovebug-season advice we can give you.
Don’t leave them baked onto your car for days.
There’s a long-running claim that lovebugs are extremely acidic and instantly eat through automotive paint. That’s not quite accurate.
Fresh lovebug remains aren’t extraordinarily acidic. The bigger problem occurs when smashed bugs sit on the vehicle, begin decomposing and bake in Florida’s sun and heat.
That’s when they become much harder to remove and can eventually damage the finish.
You don’t necessarily need to give the entire car a professional wash every evening. At minimum, rinse or clean the heavy buildup from your bumper, grille, hood, mirrors and windshield after driving through a major swarm.
How to Get Dried Lovebugs Off Your Car
If they’ve already turned into little cement spots on the bumper, don’t immediately start scrubbing.
Soak them first.
UF/IFAS recommends soaking the bugs with water for several minutes to soften them before gently removing them. Warm soapy water works well for a regular wash.
You can also lay a wet towel over stubborn areas for several minutes. Once the remains soften, they’ll usually come off much more easily.
And here’s one of those old Florida tricks that actually has some backing: a wet dryer sheet can help remove lovebugs.
Wet the dryer sheet, let the area soak and gently wipe. The key word is gently. Aggressive scrubbing can scratch your paint, which creates a much bigger problem than the bugs themselves.
DON’T: Scrub a Dry Car
You walk outside, see 8,000 dried lovebugs on the bumper and grab the nearest rag.
Don’t.
Dry bug remains plus dirt and road grit can act like an abrasive against the finish.
Soak first. Wipe second.
DO: Wax Your Car Before They Get Bad
If you know lovebug season is coming, a good coat of wax can make cleanup considerably easier.
The wax creates another layer between the bug remains and your vehicle’s finish and can make splattered bugs easier to wash away.
If your car hasn’t been waxed in a while, September is a pretty good time to do it.
DON’T: Ignore Your Radiator and Grille
Paint isn’t the only reason to clean the front of your vehicle.
Drive through enough lovebugs and they can accumulate around the grille and radiator area. In extreme cases, heavy buildup can interfere with airflow.
If you’ve made a long highway drive during a particularly bad swarm, take a look at the front of the vehicle when you get home.
A removable bug screen in front of the grille can also help during peak season, especially if you do a lot of highway driving.
When Are Lovebugs the Worst?
If you have some flexibility about when you travel, timing can actually help.
Lovebugs are daytime fliers. They’re much less active early in the morning and late in the evening, and they don’t fly at night.
The late morning through afternoon hours tend to be much worse.
That means leaving Tallahassee at 7 a.m. for a road trip may result in a very different windshield than leaving around lunchtime.
Slower speeds also mean fewer splattered bugs, although obviously we’re not suggesting crawling down I-10 at 30 mph in the name of automotive cleanliness.
Why Are Lovebugs Hanging Around My House?
Lovebugs aren’t trying to move in.
They’re relatively weak fliers and can collect around buildings depending on wind direction and nearby habitat.
If they’re driving you crazy on the porch or patio, try a fan.
Seriously.
Moving air from an outdoor or box fan can make it harder for them to hover and land. Keeping doors closed and window screens in good condition will also help keep them outside.
This is much more practical than repeatedly spraying insecticide at a population that’s going to be replaced by another batch drifting in from down the road.
DON’T: Squish Them Inside the Car
You’ve got one crawling around the dashboard.
Resist the urge.
Squished lovebugs can stain upholstery and interior surfaces. If possible, let the bug out or vacuum it up rather than smashing it into your seat.
Save your revenge for the ones already plastered across the bumper.
Did the University of Florida Create Lovebugs?
Ah, the Florida legend that refuses to die.
No.
UF did not genetically engineer lovebugs in a laboratory and release them to control mosquitoes.
Lovebugs originated farther south and gradually expanded their range through the Gulf Coast states before becoming established in Florida during the 20th century.
By the time University of Florida researchers began studying them, lovebugs were already here.
And no, they weren’t created to eat mosquitoes, either.
Feel free to tell your uncle at Thanksgiving.
Do Lovebugs Actually Do Anything Useful?
Annoyingly, yes.
The adults aren’t doing much besides flying around, feeding on nectar, mating and ruining your freshly washed car.
But their larvae are decomposers.
They live among decaying plant material and help break it down, returning nutrients to the soil.
So they aren’t completely useless.
We understand if that knowledge doesn’t make you feel any better while you’re scraping 600 of them off your license plate.
Lovebug Season Do’s and Don’ts
- DO wash lovebugs off your vehicle as soon as practical.
- DO soak dried bugs before trying to remove them.
- DO keep your vehicle waxed during peak lovebug season.
- DO check your grille after long highway trips.
- DO keep windshield washer fluid topped off.
- DO try a fan if lovebugs are taking over your porch.
- DON’T aggressively scrub dried bugs off automotive paint.
- DON’T leave a thick coating baking on your car for days.
- DON’T waste a ton of pesticide trying to eliminate them from your yard.
- DON’T squish them into your car upholstery.
- DON’T blame UF. They swear they didn’t do it.
How Much Longer Will Lovebug Season Last?
Here’s the part everyone in Tallahassee really wants to know.
Not that much longer.
September is one of Florida’s two peak lovebug periods, but the adult flights generally last only a few weeks in a particular area. Numbers can also vary tremendously from one neighborhood to another.
One part of Leon County can seem completely overrun while another area isn’t nearly as bad.
And then, almost as suddenly as they arrived, they’ll disappear.
We’ll get a break until spring.
So keep the windshield washer fluid full, don’t let the little suckers bake onto your paint and remember that this is temporary.
After all, this is Tallahassee.
As soon as the lovebugs disappear, something else will come along to annoy us.
