| Date: |
Monday, January 1, 2001
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| Question/Topic: |
Love bugs - lovebugs
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| Answer/Pointer: |
Lovebugs are small black flies with red chests (thoraxes). Males are 1/4 inch long; females are 1/3 inch in length. . . . Adult lovebugs are harmless and do not sting or bite. They feed on the nectar of various plants. Larvae feed on decaying plant material and perform a beneficial function by converting this material into organic components which can be used by growing plants. Two flights of lovebugs occur each year. The spring flight occurs during late April and May; a second flight occurs during late August and September. Flights extend over periods of 4 to 5 weeks. Mating takes place almost immediately after emergence of the females. Adult females live only 2 to 3 days . . .
Lovebugs are a formidable nuisance to motorists because they congregate in unbelievable numbers along highways and splatter windshields and grills of passing autos. They can clog radiator fins cauisng cars to overheat. They also get into refrigeration equipment on trucks, thereby causing overheating. The fatty tissue will cause pitting of a car's finish if it is not removed within a few days. They will soil clothes and mess up fresh paint.
Source: Florida critters, by Bill Zak, p. 141. (R+Circ) 591.69 Zak
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| Librarian: |
LCLCPL
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| Comments: |
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