Love Bugs on the Move!

Plecia nearctica

These lovable little dipterans (they aren't actually "bugs" despite their common name) spend 5-7 months of their lives as larvae in the leaf litter. The adults emerge synchronously twice a year (April-May and September - October) and can form large swarms that cloud the air. Many people don't realize that these flies are actually invaders from Central America and have been working their way northward along the coast. They have been spotted as far north as Wilmington, NC.

If you have spotted a mating pair of these flies please send me an email at the address below stating the time and place that you saw them. We are developing a database to track this invader's northward migration and can use your help!

If you are feeling very adventurous, and wish to help my research project even more, I am looking for collections of 30+ love bugs from all over the southeast. The flies can be preserved in ethanol, rubbing alcohol or even vodka (or moonshine) and put into a small jar (baby food jars work well, as do 35mm film canisters), sealed in a small ziploc bag, and mailed to me at the address below. We will be measuring the flies to determine if body size changes from south to north, as well as their DNA.

Also, I am always interested in good photos or video footage to put on my web site.

Dr. Timothy A. Mousseau
Dept of Biological Sciences
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

tel: 803-777-8047, fax: 803-777-4002, email: mousseau@sc.edu

NEWS FLASH!!!

Massive Love Bug Outbreak Reported Across the South Atlantic (2006)!!

I have received several hundred emails from folks from Florida to South Carolina this fall (2006) reporting unusually high numbers of love bugs this year.  Thanks for the emails!

   Love Bugs or Dark-Winged Fungus Gnats?!

  Many folks from South Carolina (especially near Columbia) and parts of Georgia are reporting what appears to be a love bug. However, they may actually be dark-winged fungus gnats!

For more information on the love bug try these links:

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/lovebug.htm  
http://www.gate.net/~lstone/biking/lovebug.html
http://www.floridaenvironment.com/programs/fe00508.htm
http://www.fcla.edu/FlaEnt/fe81p559.htm
http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/mcinsec2.html
http://entowww.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-009.html

Click here to download a short MPEG video love bugs swarming in west central Louisiana (thanks goes to Sherry Strickland for sending in this video clip). Beware! This file is 5 megs and should only be downloaded by those with a direct internet connection!

Photos from April Roth's 7th and 8th Graders in Gulfport, Mississippi!
Photos from readers

Love Bug Poetry