Love bugs swarm Southwest Florida cars, here's why they won't leave

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Florida drivers are dealing with a very particular kind of "dirty work" on the roads right now—love bugs.

"It's a wonderful name for an annoying bug," Southwest Florida resident Derek Underwood said.

Underwood is scrubbing down his car before a long drive back north. He's dealing with love bugs splattered across the windshield.

"I know when I hit (Interstate) 75 and start heading up north, I'm probably going to get a good test of it," Underwood said.

"It's almost a film that covers the whole windshield, and they don't come off easily if you've waited too long to get them off. You're going to be scrubbing for a little bit," Underwood said.

A clean car doesn't stand a chance against these love bugs. To them, it's not a vehicle—it's a magnet. The heat and exhaust pull them in by the swarm.

"Car exhaust contains carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide is one of the cues that they actually use in order to determine where to lay their eggs. So they think that our cars are swampy areas," said Dr. Joyce Fassbender, a Florida Gulf Coast University entomologist.

Fassbender knows all about these little insects, which are native to Central America, and are out this time of year because it's part of their breeding season, and they don't waste time.

"They're out looking for girlfriends or boyfriends," Fassbender said.

"As adults, they live for most five days. So they spend most of their adult lives connected to their partner," Fassbender said.

There's no need to worry. They're basically harmless—they don't carry disease, they don't bite, and they don't care about us in any way.

So yes, they're annoying. But they're only temporary—love bug season only lasts about a month until the next one rolls around this fall.

"Spread the love," Underwood said.