Editing Lovebug (section)

==Semi-annual pest status==
[[Image:swarmoflovebugs.jpg|thumbnail|Lovebugs at a [[bus stop]] at [[Walt Disney World Resort]] in September 2006]]

Male/female pairs (joined tail-to-tail) will hover in the air, drifting slowly. Two major flights occur each year; the spring flight occurs during late April and May, and the summer flight occurs during late August and September. Flights extend over periods of four to five weeks.<ref name="Hetrick" /><ref>Cherry, R., and Raid, R. 2000. Seasonal flight of Plecia nearctica (Diptera: Bibionidae) in southern Florida. Florida Entomol. 83: 94–96.</ref><ref>Denmark, H. A., and F. W. Mead. "Lovebug - Plecia Nearctica Hardy." Lovebug – Plecia Nearctica Hardy. DPI Entomology Circular 350, 15 Aug. 1998. Web. 24 July 2014.</ref> In south Florida, a third (but smaller) flight can occur in December.<ref name="denmark" /> Mating takes place almost immediately after emergence of the females. Adult females live only three to four days, while males live a little longer. They have to stick to each other at all times.<ref name="denmark" />

This species' reputation as a public nuisance is due not to any bite or sting (it is incapable of either), but to its slightly [[acid]]ic body chemistry. There are no health risks to humans, as disease cannot be transmitted through them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/07/lovebugs-swarming-florida-cars-facts-invasive-bugs/1126599001/|title = Dreaded lovebugs are back, swarming cars. What you should know about the invasive species|website = [[USA Today]]}}</ref> Because airborne lovebugs can exist in enormous numbers near highways, they die in large numbers on [[automobile]] windshields, hoods, and radiator grilles when vehicles travel at highway speeds. If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become extremely difficult to remove. Their body chemistry has a nearly neutral 6.5 [[pH]] but may become acidic at 4.25 pH if left on the car for a day.<ref name="denmark" />  In the past, the acidity of the dead adult body, especially the female's [[ootheca|egg masses]], often resulted in pits and etches in automotive paint and chrome if not quickly removed.<ref name="short">{{cite web |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG068 |title=Lovebugs in Florida|last1=Weston|first1=J.|first2=Donald E.|last2=Short|last3=Pfiester|first3=M.|orig-date=Originally published October 1993 in ''Pests in and around the Florida Home''|date=8 February 2022|id=Publication No. ENY-329|publisher=Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida |work=Electronic Data Information Source of UF/IFAS Extension|access-date=2 September 2024}}</ref>  However, advances in automotive paints and protective coatings have reduced this threat significantly. Now the greatest concern is excessive clogging of vehicle radiator air passages by the bodies of the adults, with a reduction of the cooling effect on engines, and the obstruction of windshields when the remains of the adults and egg masses are smeared on the glass.<ref name="denmark" />

Lovebug adults are attracted to light-colored surfaces, especially if they are freshly painted, but adults congregate almost anywhere, apparently reacting to the effects of sunlight on automobile fumes, asphalt, and other products affected by environmental factors still not completely understood.<ref name="denmark" />