Were Love Bugs Created
How love bugs came to florida and no they weren t created to eat mosquitoes it s love bug mating season and the pesky bugs are covering our cars and flying in swarms.
Were love bugs created. The love bug plecia nearctica is a species of march fly found in parts of central america and the southeastern united states especially along the gulf coast. Twice a year these tiny harmless insects create a nuisance for drivers. No they are not research of l. In fact adults do not eat at all and the larvae feed on decaying plant matter.
This was part of myth 1 the story being that scientists were trying to create an insect that would eat mosquitoes. Love bugs are not the result of a genetic cloning experiment gone wrong nor were they unwittingly loosed from a research facility charged with studying exotic insects. Immediately many begin to blame the university of florida since legend has it they created lovebugs to help kill pesky mosquitos. Sometime in the 1950s an experiment gone horribly wrong at the university of florida produced a pesky bug with no apparent purpose.
Gainesville fla fact or fiction. Buschman showed that migration explained the introduction of the love bug into florida and other southeastern states contrary to the urban myth that the university of florida created them by manipulating dna to control mosquito populations 5. It is also known as the honeymoon fly or double headed bug during and after mating matured pairs remain together even in flight for up to several days. Love bugs are not the result of a genetic cloning experiment gone wrong nor were they unwittingly loosed from a research facility charged with studying exotic insects.
While some say florida has no seasons real floridians know there are three summer hurricane and lovebug. Hardy but was seen in. The love bug code named herbie was fitted with a metal grill designed to catch and dispatch mosquitoes. Myth 3 lovebugs have no natural enemies and no other insects will eat them.
Where did love bugs come from. It was not a new species but rather a mechanism. Beginning in the early to mid 1900s however they began to travel northward to the southeastern portions of the u s including florida texas louisiana georgia and as far north as north carolina. As much as i wish it were true lovebugs do not eat mosquitoes.
Originally love bugs were considered native only to south and central america.