The Lovebug Comeback Tour: Why Vero’s Least Favorite Guests are Back in Town

They don't care about arts and culture, but after a two-year absence, lovebugs have returned to Vero Beach, and if you've noticed them drifting across your driveway again, here's what you need to know.

First, kill the myth: the University of Florida did not create these in a lab. The story that they were engineered to eat mosquitoes is fiction. They migrated here naturally from Central America, they don't bite, and they survive entirely on nectar. They're also not, technically, in love. They spend their brief adult lives (a few days, total) locked together for reproduction, and then they're gone.

The recent absence comes down to soil. Lovebug larvae need ground that is damp but not flooded. Erratic rainfall over the past few seasons kept the cycle off. This year, conditions finally hit the right balance, and here they are.

A few things worth knowing before you reach for the hose: lovebugs aren't acidic on contact, but they begin to ferment in Florida heat. Leave them on your car longer than 48 hours and they'll etch the finish. The most effective removal tool is a wet dryer sheet. The surfactants cut through the residue without scratching. If you're heading out on the highway, a light coat of cooking spray on your mirrors makes cleanup easy when you return.

As for why they're hovering over your brightly colored patio furniture: they're drawn to bright, heat-radiating colors. To a lovebug, such colors read as a landing invitation.

The good news: this year's swarms are nowhere near the windshield-blackout density of past seasons. Pretty soon, they'll be a distant memory.