They're baaaaack!
One of the "delights" of Southern living are the "love bugs." They are small beetles, about the size of an ant, about 1/2" long. They are black and have a tiny red head. Some years (and last year was one of them) there are millions of them, in big swarms. They call them love bugs because they copulate in flight. Connected at the tip of their abdomens they fly around aimlessly. They have no natural enemies (except windshields and radiators) because their bodies have high acidity. Not even spiders want them. They are not a real pest because they feed on rotting vegetation, don't sting, and don't bite. But when their bodies splatter on your car (where they stick like Superglue) and they are not removed in a timely manner, the acidity in them will corrode the paint. Last year there were so many I couldn't even barbecue. They'd fall on hot steaks and burgers and immolate themselves in a last, desperate act of love. I guess they are the South's version of Sex Ed. I imagine that lots of southern children ask their parents why these pairs of bugs fly around and land everywhere (especially light surfaces) attached to each other. I don't know what their parents will say to them, but I'd like to listen to their explanations...
Anyhow, they are back. I hope their numbers will not be as enormous as they were last year. I hate washing my truck every time I drive it!
On a more positive note, the fireflies are back, too. I don't mind them.