Lovebugs are back with a vengeance
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Coming soon to a windshield near you. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images
Lovebugs — the dive-bombing scourge of summer driving season, destroyers of paint jobs and windshields — are back in a big way.
Why it matters: Splat! Splat! Splatsplatsplatsplatsplat.
- That's the sound of driving on a highway in Florida right now.
Driving the news: After years of decline — and for reasons unknown —lovebugs have returned in hordes across the state in recent weeks.
- Attracted to car exhaust, they hover in mated pairs (hence the name) above roadways, waiting to nosedive onto passing vehicles.
- If not cleaned off quickly (which is easier said than done), their residue can damage paint jobs, leaving behind splat-shaped marks.
Yes, but: At least they don't bite or sting. They're annoying, but not a threat.
What they're saying: Norman Leppla, a lovebug expert at the University of Florida's Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, told the Orlando Sentinel that the pests have "blossomed" in 2026.
- "Their swarms have definitely been thicker than last year. I was surprised, because they've been declining," Leppla said.
The intrigue: That decline had led experts to speculate that lovebugs were on track to go extinct, per the Sentinel. So much for that!
- Leppla and his peers can't explain the pests' rise and fall.
What's next: Lovebugs typically peak twice a year, per UFIFAS, in April-May and August-September. Plan your car washes accordingly.