August 25, 2001
Home & Garden
Love Hurts
It’s that time of year again, and lovebugs—those ubiquitous conjoined flies that seem to gravitate toward windshields—are out in force. The Plecia nearctica, found from Costa Rica to the Carolinas, emerge from the larval stage in the fall to mate, thus the current infestation.
“They do not bite, they do not sting and they do not carry any diseases that we know of,” said Kelly Micher, an entomologist with the Mobile County Health Department. In the morning, unsuspecting males will swarm once conditions are warm enough. Females wait below for the swarm and then fly through it. The males grasp their lady loves in flight and the pair falls to the ground and couples. At first they face the same direction, but after coupling is completed, the male turns 180 degrees. Then they fly with the female, who is larger and in control.