Florida's Lovebugs Are Disappearing. Here's Why That's An Alarming Sign

Though they may have become synonymous with the Sunshine State, lovebugs are actually one of many invasive species in Florida. Arriving in the U.S. from Central America in the early 1900s, the insects made their way east from Texas and became established in Florida some time in the mid-1900s. Since then, they have become known for their twice-a-year mating ritual, with the insects taking to the skies in April/May and August/September. The insect swarms actually became a major issue in Florida during the late '60s and early '70s, when lovebugs were so abundant that Florida Democratic Rep. William Chappell Jr. testified in Washington, D.C. about their "mammoth proportions" and the "hazardous situation" they were causing (via Tampa Bay Times).

At that point in Florida's history, lovebugs were, according to Chappell, affecting the tourist trade, clogging up residents' air conditioners and car radiators, and making it genuinely dangerous to drive during the day. But by the end of the '70s, the insects numbers had dwindled enough that they became labelled as nuisances rather than the cause of a serious safety crisis.

However, since then, a different type of crisis has developed. Though lovebugs hadn't been quite as prevalent as they were at the height of the outbreak in the 1970s, they remained a part of life in Florida ever since, causing trouble for motorists every year. But by 2023, the lovebugs had all but disappeared, and nobody knows why.

Deriving their name from their elaborate and lengthy mating habits, lovebugs are easily identifiable by their red/orange thorax and purple wings. Not that they need their physiognomy to stand out. Swarms of the creatures can contain up to a million lovebugs, and it's these giant clouds of the insects that became nothing short of a scourge on Florida for decades, decorating the windshields of millions of Sunshine State natives every year.

Though lovebug numbers were at their peak in the 1970s, they remained prevalent enough in Florida that their twice-yearly mating rituals simply became a standard part of life for Floridians. Speaking to WUFT, resident Ruth McIlhenny recalled moving to Gainesville in 1997 and initially being shocked at the huge swarms of lovebugs before learning to live with them — which she did for decades since. But as the outlet reports, it's only been in the last several years that residents such as Mcllhenny have noticed a dramatic decline in lovebug numbers. As of yet, there's no explanation.

Norman Leppla, a professor at the University of Florida's Department of Entomology and Nematology, has been studying the bugs since the 1970s, and is particularly concerned about their sudden disappearance. Unfortunately, there seems to be a very slim chance of actually verifying the loss of the lovebug in Florida and pinpointing its cause. Leppla spoke to the Tampa Bay Times, saying, "It's really not an area where we could get funding to do research." He noted that the non-blood sucking insects are basically "thought of as nuisances," and therefore don't pose any major threat or provide any real benefit to the state. As such, they are not a priority in terms of research funding.

We don't know what is behind the loss of lovebugs in Florida, but as reported by Reuters, scientists are concerned about an ongoing "insect apocalypse" which has seen the global insect population decline by 2% per year as a result of deforestation, pesticides, artificial light pollution, and climate change. Today, 40% of all insect species are declining globally which is concerning as crops, plants, and other animals rely on these insects for their own survival, making the creatures the bedrock of healthy ecosystems the world over. But if their numbers continue to dwindle, there will be huge economic consequences. For one, fewer crops will be pollinated. As a 2021 study in Environmental Science & Technology points out, these pollination services provided by insects were valued at $34 billion in 2012.

In 1992, a group of scientists and Nobel laureates, issued the "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity" appeal in which they urged the world to seriously consider how human beings and the natural world were on a "collision course" and how human activities were inflicting irrecoverable damage on the environment. In 2020, a study in the journal Biological Conservation built upon that original appeal by focusing on the devastating effects human activities had inflicted upon insect populations, noting that since the arrival of the industrial era, it is thought that between 5% and 10% of all insect species have been wiped out. That equates to between 250,000 and 500,000 species. The authors also warned that at least 1 million species are under threat of extinction in the coming decades, and half of these are insects.

While it remains unclear just what has caused the decline of Florida's lovebug numbers in recent years, the dramatic change is happening against an inescapably dire backdrop.

Until actual research is undertaken, we won't know exactly what is causing the loss of Florida's lovebugs. But there's a good chance the same factors that are behind the global "insect apocalypse" have contributed to such a drastic reduction in their numbers. Dr. Norman Leppla suggests that as climate change shifts the Sunshine State towards a more temperate and less tropical climate, lovebugs might have simply moved on to a more favorable environment.

In his interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Leppla elaborated on what might causing the drop in lovebugs, pointing out that the creatures are actually fairly adaptable and hardy, and would likely be unaffected by recent droughts in the state. Aside from their attraction to automobile exhaust, which Leppla admits would cause their numbers to decline had they not managed to exist for decades without it being a problem, the professor suggests that what he called a "general pressure" is likely to blame, pointing to climate, habitat, and pollution as key factors to investigate.

Asked whether he expects the insects to return, Leppla was less than optimistic. "I don't think so," he said, pointing to the insects' continuous decline over three years as evidence that "something has changed." What's more, while flowers that attract lovebugs remain plentiful in the state, the lovebugs are nowhere to be seen, further pointing to a major shift that, at this point, remains unidentified — perhaps, as Leppla ventures, a parasite or pathogen has attacked the lovebug population in Florida.

Unlike some types of flying insects in Flordia, lovebugs aren't poisonous, don't bite or sting, and don't transmit diseases. As such, their status as a nuisance pest is really down to the fact that in large numbers they can become just that — a nuisance and nothing more. But while they also don't bring any major ecosystem-supporting benefits to Florida, they aren't without their pros. Lovebug larvae actually help to decompose dead plant material. What's more, their biannual mating ritual meant that, in a strange way, lovebugs were symbolic of the changing seasons, and as such, you wouldn't blame residents who've lived with the insects for decades for feeling as though there's something unnatural about their absence.

As it stands, there are still some of the insects left in Florida. Dr. Leppla clarified to Orlando's News6 that he has been able to find some lovebugs on farms and in pastures, but he's typically only finding small amounts of them in these areas that provide perfect conditions for larvae. Still, the professor maintained that the current state of lovebug numbers in the state is "nothing like we've seen in the past with massive numbers." Sadly, until actual research is carried out, the reason for this major change will remain a mystery.