Road King Blog

Tis the late spring, when Plecia nearctica’s fancy turns to love. Known colloquially as the Love Bug, this omnipresent fly plagues Florida in late May and in September. They get their name from the habit of attaching to one another during their mating seasons and then flying about in tandem. The larger female tows the male around randomly until they manage to find a convenient windshield to splatter on like tiny fireworks.

After they sit for an hour or so, they become quite sticky, and are a royal pain in the tail to remove from windscreens, headlights, passing lights, turn signals, forks, boots, crash bars, etc.

Oh, and helmets. Makes me very, very glad I wear a full-face lid.

To make an already fun situation even more enjoyable, dried love bugs stink. Just a little added bonus for the task of removing them.

I just think of it as the small price we pay for year-round riding.