Double-headed bugs are little bothersome insects, but do love bugs bite and how to get rid of them? Keep reading this article to know the answers!
What Are Love Bugs?
Lovebugs are popularly known as honeymoon flies, March flies, United bugs, and Double-headed bugs having the binomial name ‘Plecia nearctica.’ They love to live in humid along with warm climates. While mating, they get cling together for a long time, earning them the name – Lovebugs. Females die soon after the mating process, and their average life is just 2-3 days. In 1940, D.E. Hardy was the first person in history, who first identified love bugs.
Do Love Bugs Bite?
Love Bugs don’t bite human beings because they feed on flower nectar. They are very beneficial for the vegetation because the female lays eggs beneath the plant’s rotting material. Once the hatching process is complete, larvae come out from the eggs, and they start feeding on the decomposing material that eventually turns into essential nutrients for the crops, thereby helping in their growth.
However, they can be harmful in various ways:
- As they get splattered on the windscreen, they decrease visibility while driving.
- Loves bugs can ruin your car’s paint because of their body’s acidic property.
- They can invade your house and stick to the freshly painted walls.
Where Do The Bugs Come From?
Double-headed bugs thrive in Central America and the Southern US. They migrate along the Gulf of Mexico. After their identification in 1940, they have since spread through Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, as well as Georgia and South Carolina.
How to Get Rid of The Double Headed Bugs?
If your house is severely infested with love bugs, then try the below remedies to keep them at bay!
1. Burn Mosquito Deterrent Candles – It sounds illogical, but the mosquito repellent candles will do the trick.
2. Try vacuum cleaner – Run the vacuum all over where the double-headed bugs gathered in the house.
3. Use Baby Oil Spray – Spritzing baby oil not only helps you to get rid of love bugs but also removes their body residuals from your car’s body paint.
4. Try Love Bug Repellent Spray – Add 1/2 cup of water, two tablespoons of each citrus dish soap and mouthwash in an empty spray bottle. Shake it well, then spritz it all over the double-headed bugs invaded areas to get rid of them.
5. Ceiling Fan – Use the ceiling fan at the highest speed possible, to stop the double-headed bugs find a suitable place to rest.
6. Remove Biological Waste – Run a lawn mower daily to remove the decomposable materials such as grass clippings or leaves, as lovebugs feed on them.
After reading the above article, we are sure that you have understood everything about lovebugs and the possible ways to repel them for good. If you have any suggestions and queries, then let us know by commenting below!