If you’ve driven anywhere in Central Florida over the last few weeks, you’ve probably already met them. First it’s a bug or two tapping against your windshield. Then it seems like they’re everywhere, clinging together in pairs, coating grills and bumpers, and generally making themselves impossible to ignore. Lovebugs have returned to Orlando in full force, and this year some Walt Disney World guests are running into them in places they really weren’t expecting, including inside their hotel rooms.Credit: DisneyIf you have a Disney trip coming up during lovebug season, here’s what’s actually going on, why it happens every year, and what you can realistically do about it.What Exactly Are These Bugs Everyone’s Talking AboutCredit: DisneyLovebugs are small flies related to mosquitoes and gnats, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. They’re easy to identify once you know what to look for, with slender black bodies and a reddish thorax. Depending on who you ask, they also go by a handful of other names, including March flies, double headed bugs, honeymoon flies, united bugs, and, according to Dr. Norman Leppla of the University of Florida’s Entomology and Nematology Department, “some expletives that are not repeatable.”They aren’t native to Florida either. Lovebugs actually arrived in the state back in 1949 and didn’t reach outbreak level populations until the 1970s. There’s also a long running myth that University of Florida researchers created lovebugs in a lab to control mosquitoes, but Leppla has debunked that directly. Lovebugs feed on pollen and nectar and are active during the day, while mosquitoes come out at twilight or overnight. “For these and many other reasons, the lovebug would be a poor candidate to genetically engineer as a mosquito predator, even if it were possible,” he said.Why They Show Up in Such Massive NumbersCredit: Inside the MagicLovebugs tend to appear as mating pairs in overwhelming numbers twice a year, typically during a few weeks each in April through May and again in August through September. They don’t affect every part of Florida equally either. Some areas hit outbreak levels while nearby spots barely notice them at all. Once they do show up in an area, they usually stick around for about two weeks before thinning out.There’s actually some good news buried in here. “In general, the lovebug, Plecia nearctica, has decreased in abundance at most locations in Florida during about the past four years,” Leppla noted earlier this year, though the reason behind that decline isn’t entirely clear yet.What draws them to roads and cars specifically comes down to a mix of factors. Female lovebugs are drawn to compounds found in automobile exhaust, which they seem to mistake for the smell of decaying organic matter where they lay their eggs. Heat plays a role too, along with an attraction to light colored and shiny surfaces, which explains why they gravitate toward vehicles parked or driving under the Florida sun.Why Some Disney Guests Are Finding Them Indoors TooIt’s not just windshields getting hit this year. A recent Reddit post drew attention after a guest described what they called a bug infestation inside their room at Disney’s All Star Sports Resort, sharing video of a large number of bugs on the bed sheets and in the bathroom. The post’s title initially referred to them as June bugs, but commenters quickly clarified what was actually going on.All star sports June Bug infestation byu/Inevitable_Boot_9039 inWaltDisneyWorld“These are lovebugs, not june bugs,” one commenter wrote. “They are absolutely everywhere in Florida in April/May and again in September. I’m guessing housekeeping left the door open while a swarm flew through. They’re completely harmless, but yeah, they’re annoying. Expect to see a lot more of them during your trip.”Another commenter offered a similar explanation, pointing to how easily lovebugs end up indoors once a door is left open even briefly. “Disney World is in the center of a giant swamp, bugs are inevitable, especially in the Summer,” they wrote, adding that a recent stay at All Star Movies didn’t involve any bugs in the room itself, though lovebugs were a common sight at bus stops and throughout the parks.A longtime Florida resident chimed in as well, noting how much the severity can vary year to year. “This year has been kind of bad, other years don’t really notice them,” they wrote. “Of course the one year my in laws decided to come to WDW for the first time they were everywhere! Had to explain it’s not usually like this.”What You Can Actually Do About ItThe good news is that lovebugs are harmless. They don’t bite and they don’t sting, so the annoyance factor is really the main issue. If they end up on your car, the key is cleaning them off within 24 hours. Leppla explained that lovebug remains aren’t actually acidic, but the process of them baking onto a hot surface is what causes paint damage over time. His preferred method involves wet clothes dryer sheets to lift them off quickly. Other guests swear by high pressure washers, a fresh coat of wax, or commercial cleaners like Simple Green. Whatever you do, avoid using your windshield wipers while driving through a swarm, since that just smears everything across the glass.Timing your outdoor plans can help too. Lovebugs don’t fly at night, and their activity generally kicks off around 10 a.m. and slows down at dusk. They also need air temperatures around 68 degrees to get moving, which in Orlando during these stretches of the year is basically all day long.Keeping This In Mind for Your Own TripNone of this should be a reason to rethink a Disney vacation planned for lovebug season, but it’s worth knowing before you go. Keep hotel room doors closed as much as possible when coming and going, especially at night when lights can attract them. If you’re driving a rental car around the parks, plan on wiping down the windshield regularly rather than letting anything sit and bake in the heat. And if you do spot a few bugs in your room or at a bus stop, know that it’s an extremely common seasonal occurrence rather than anything unusual about where you’re staying.Dealt with lovebugs on a recent Disney trip? Tell us about it in the comments, we’re curious how bad this season has actually been for other guests.The post Florida Bug Infestation Overtakes Disney World Resort Rooms, Covers Beds and Floors appeared first on Inside the Magic.