Love Bugs

 

Lovebugs (Plecia nearctica) are a members of the insect group known as march flies.They are a fact of life in South Alabama and all along the Gulf coast,even spreading as far as North Carolina.They probably came from South America.For most of their lives, they are helpful. In the larval stage they live in grass and eat dead vegetation, thereby removing thach. As soon as they emerge as adults, they begin to mate, and although they live only 3 or 4 days, they remain "hooked up" till after the female lays eggs.The female sometimes drags the dead male around with her till she deposits her eggs. This sexual frenzy has given rise to their common name, "lovebugs". They commonly produce 2 generations a year, although in South Florida, they sometimes produce a smaller generation in December.
For some years after they arrived in this country they were quite a problem in the adult stage as millions would emerge and swarm. Driving at highway speeds would plaster the bodies and egg masses all over the windsheild and radiater. When they dried they were very difficult to remove. Sometimes radiaters would become clogged and result in engines overheating. Various kinds of covers were invented to deal with the bugs. But with the passage of time, their natural enemies arrived on our shores, too, and currently a fungus that infects the larvae keeps the populations in check.
The adults feed on flower nectar,hence this picture from the picture plant bog.