How is the "Love Bug" situation at the moment?

[SignguyTom]

We are headed to WDW in 2 days :woohoo: and I was curious if anyone is there right now, or just returned, who can give me an update on the love bugs. We were there a couple weeks earlier in the year in 2006 and they were pretty thick. Not a big deal, just a bit anoying.

:mickey:

[Piglet822]

They're starting to come out - they aren't too terrible yet but it's still early in the season.

[Jasper]

You know, we have been there twice in the past at was suppose to be the peak love bug season and just didn't think they were anywhere near as bad as the locals, including the newscasts, were making them out to be. We thought they were nothing more than an occasional mild annoyance. In both cases we spent the entire time on Disney property so perhaps there is something done differently by the Disney folks than is done elsewhere in the Orlando area. I know that doesn't address your concern about this year but I just wanted to share our observations.

[Mickey Loves Golf]

Just came in from washing them off my truck and my wifes Pacifica....they are HORRIBLE. I don't care if it is a light season (supposedly) or not....

I HATE love bugs!!!!!!!!!!!

lol :ack:

[jennsky]

Just got back from Florida on the weekend. The bugs didn't seem to be too bad, but they made a gross mess on the front of our van...yum. :ack:

[WinnipegDisneyFanatic]

This time last year I was at the World...they weren't too bad. I remember I was amazed the first time I saw them outside of Hollywood and Vine the evening we arrived...never seen bugs that 'hold on' to each other like that!

Chris :hatter:

[DDuck66]

We were there through the 16th and while they were not too bad at the parks, they were horrible along I-4 as we headed back to Clearwater.

[goingbacktodisney]

Someone please educate me...what are love bugs?

[tinklover]

These (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k148/twostepper_1999/250px-Lovebugs-753807.jpg) are love bugs. They don't bite or sting or anything like that they are just a pain. they are not too bad in teh parks but on teh highways they are aweful. they splatter all over your windshield and front of your vehicle and you CAN NOT use your wipers and washer fluid as it only smears them and makes a bigger mess. last year when we went to disney we headed up form south Florida and we had to stop 3 times on the turnpike to clean off the windshield. itw as amazing as 3 days later on the way back they were not bad at all. I hope they are gone in 13 days when we get there.

[ILoveLegos]

May 5-12 was not too bad, They really just kept hanging around my cousin who wore a lot of white in the parks. The condition of the grill of my 2008 Highlander was another story, I washed it every other day, ugh!

[Jasper]

These (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k148/twostepper_1999/250px-Lovebugs-753807.jpg) are love bugs.

Your photograph reminds me of a joke we played on our kids. Since you almost always see the Love Bugs in their mating position and not as single animals we convinced our two oldest kids that these were the only two headed bugs on the planet. At the time they were about 11 and 10 years old so it was so great watching them buy into the joke hook, line, and sinker. In fact, they were so into this joke that they found a plastic container, scooped up a few prime specimen and took them home to show their teachers after our vacation.

As you can imagine after spending a couple of days in the container the bugs had finished doing their thing and had uncoupled. That just made our kids even more excited because They thought the bugs had given birth! About that time though they realized that each of the bugs only had one head.

That is when the joke fell apart because we couldn't keep a straight face as we were trying to convince them that the bugs would grow their second head and legs later. So we came clean to the kids at that point and explained what the bugs had been doing. (They knew the basics about the birds and bees from an early age because we raise rabbits for show and to eat.) To this day whenever we see anything remotely resembling a love bug we all have to laugh!

Oh, I also wanted to ask if anyone knows if the Love Bugs are native to the Florida area or if they are an alien invader? Also, what is the real name for the Love Bug?

[tinklover]

Oh, I also wanted to ask if anyone knows if the Love Bugs are native to the Florida area or if they are an alien invader? Also, what is the real name for the Love Bug?

The love bugs real name is Plecia nearctica Hardy (Diptera: Bibionidae).Lovebugs are not native to most of the southern United States (Hardy 1945). According to Buschman (1976), since 1940 P. nearctica has extended its range from StateMississippi and Louisiana across the Gulf States, reaching Florida in 1949. In the late 1960s, it became established entirely across north Florida. During the 1970s explosive populations occurred progressively southward nearly to the end of peninsular Florida and northward into South Carolina ( Figure 4 ). Its movement may have been accelerated by prevailing winds, vehicle traffic, sod transport, increased habitat along highways and expansion of pastures but not by UF researchers.

[WLD4]

The scientific name of the love bug is Plecia nearctica, but they really are called love bugs. They're native to Central America. And the season seems to be winding down here in Florida -- I haven't washed my car in days!

[Main Street Jim]

They like the heat - and they like bright color. That's where you'll see them hanging around the most. Check it out around the Tomorrowland Speedway....

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I was really worried about the Love Bugs for our May 8 - 17 trip, I'd heard so much about them.

But, it really wasn't too bad, they are just annoying :(