The Lovebug

The lovebug I'm talking about here is not a Volkswagon. 

The lovebug, or Plecia Nearctica, is a member of the family of march flies and is common to the southeastern U.S., particularly Florida and other Gulf states. Sometimes it's called the honeymoon fly, kissing bug, or double-headed bug. During and after mating, they are known to remain coupled for several days, even while flying. Hence, the name. 

As Kent and I sail north up the east coast of Florida, these bugs have swarmed our boat in droves. We were inundated. Seasonal two or three times a year, local lovebug flights can number in the hundreds of thousands. We believe it! 

Apparently, lovebugs don't bite and are harmless. It's just very annoying to have so many of them flying around and landing on your boat! Supposedly, lovebugs are highly acidic and their dead bodies can pit or etch marks into a car's paint and chrome. 

When you see them, they're usually in pairs, end to end. And, lucky for us but unfortunate for them, all die shortly after doing the nasty. We actually had to start our generator at the end of the day and vacuum up all their dead bodies! 

According to Wikipedia, urban legend holds that lovebugs are synthetic, the result of a University of Florida genetic experiment gone wrong while manipulating DNA to control the mosquito populations. But other research has shown that the lovebugs migrated from Central America. 

What we should be researching, instead of where they originated, is how they stay coupled for so long!