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Lovebug (Plecia nearctica)
Identify it, prevent it, and know when to call. A South Florida guide from Pro-Spray.
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What Is a Lovebug?
Lovebugs are small flies that spread east along the Gulf Coast and reached Florida by the late 1940s. They get their name because males and females fly attached to each other for long stretches. The larvae live in thatch and decaying plant material and actually help break it down. Adults feed on flower nectar and don't bite or sting.
How to Identify Them
They're easy to recognize: small black flies with a bright red-orange patch behind the head, often flying joined end to end. They drift slowly and gather on white or light surfaces, and on cars along highways.
South Florida Notes
Lovebug flights are heavy across Florida in spring and late summer, and they are drawn to car exhaust and heat, which is why windshields and grills get covered. Flights last a few weeks and then the adults die off on their own.
Life Cycle
Females lay eggs in decaying plant material on the ground. The larvae feed there, helping break down thatch and leaf litter, and then pupate. Adults emerge in large numbers during the flight periods, mate, and live only a few days. That's why the bugs seem to come and go all at once.
Look-alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Fire-colored beetles and other red-and-black bugs: beetles have hard wing covers; lovebugs have soft, smoky wings like any fly.
- Mosquitoes: thinner with long legs and a needle-like mouthpart; lovebugs have neither.
- Wasps: have a narrow waist and four wings; lovebugs have two wings and a thick body.
Where They Hide in South Florida
Lovebugs aren't indoor pests. They hover over roads and parking lots, rest on light-colored walls, screen enclosures, cars and flowers, and collect along the edges of open fields and roadsides. A few may slip into garages or through open doors.
When to Call a Pro
You don't need pest control for lovebugs. Call us if you're seeing a different pest at the same time, like biting insects in the yard or ants coming in, or if bugs are getting inside through damaged screens or door gaps.
Signs of Lovebugs
- Clouds of paired black and red flies outside during the day
- Bugs spattered on the front of cars and on light-colored walls
- Lovebugs stuck on screens and pool cages
Is it dangerous?
- Property damage
Harmless to people, but crushed lovebugs can damage car paint if left to dry.
Prevention Tips
- Wash your car soon after driving through a flight; dried remains are acidic and harder to remove.
- A coat of wax or a bug screen on the grill makes cleanup easier.
- Keep doors and garage doors closed during peak flight days.
- A hose rinse clears them from screens and pool cages.
How Pro-Spray Helps With Lovebugs
Honest answer: spraying for lovebugs does very little. They fly in from wide areas, the larvae live in plant thatch we don't treat (we don't do lawn, turf or plant treatment), and the adults are gone within weeks. If lovebugs are getting indoors, we can check door sweeps and screens during a regular visit. What we can help with are the pests that do bite or invade, like mosquitoes and ants. Our Bug Free Guarantee: If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost.
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+ FREE inspection
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do lovebugs bite?
When is lovebug season in South Florida?
Will lovebugs ruin my car paint?
Reviewed October 2026 by Pro-Spray's family-run team
Pests don't wait.
Protect your home today.
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