Knowledgebase
Love Bugs #789940
Asked May 09, 2022, 4:56 PM EDT
Harris County Texas
Expert Response
Lovebugs are a common sight this time of year in eastern parts of Texas. They emerge in very large numbers, stick around for 4 weeks or so. Adults feed on nectar and only live about 4 days, while immatures feed on decaying vegetation, so both are considered to be beneficial overall as pollinators (adults) and decomposers (immatures) and then won't be seen again until later in the summer.
Lovebugs can be a nuisance when they occur in large numbers like around your home. You can suck up the adults with a shopvac or you could spray a residual pesticide (such as bifentrhin, cyfluthrin, permethrin) on the surfaces to kill the lovebugs that land on the house, but treatment is unecessary.