When Lovebugs Invade: Florida Couple’s Fishing Trip Interrupted by Lovebug Swarm
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.16.19
A Florida couple’s fishing derby was ruined last week after a viral lovebug swarm took over their boat.
“Pull the anchor we’re out of here. We gotta go 100 mph right now!” Dana Erickson can be heard saying in the video that now has more than 4 million views since it was posted May 8. And anyone who has ever been caught in a cloud of these annoying lovebugs will completely understand..
According to a report by Orlando Sentinel, Erickson and her husband were out fishing with friends roughly three miles off of Lido Key Beach in Sarasota on Silvertooth Reef when they were suddenly invaded by lovebugs.
The lovebug is a species of march fly found in parts of Central America and the southeastern United States – especially along the Gulf Coast. They are also sometimes referred to as the honeymoon fly or double-headed bug because pairs will remain coupled during and after mating, even during flight, sometimes for several days.
Erickson said they tried going fast on their boat in an attempt to outrun the swarm, but that didn’t work.
“They were going in my bathing suit,” Erickson told WFTS. “If you touch them, they smush. I’ve been down here 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like that ever.”
The crew was eventually forced to surrender to the invading forces and head for shore. But this lovebug swarm just kept causing one headache after another..
If you were wondering what kind of cleanup was required after this, it apparently took Erickson’s husband two hours with a power washer in order to get them all off.
