Floridians boast they live in paradise. You can’t beat the almost year-round summer weather. But bugs also love the heat. 

We share our spaces, indoors and out, with thousands of insects: book-loving silverfish, blood-thirsty mosquitoes, helicopter-sized dragonflies, and fire ants that can eat a two-year-old alive.

Wasps build houses on my house. At least the stucco exterior prevents termite infestations.   

Let’s not forget we are home to the poisonous brown recluse and black widow spiders.

While attempting to kill a roach on my back porch I stepped on a cricket.

Thousands of singing cicadas drown out backyard conversations.

Grasshoppers show up the minute I plant tasty herbs.

Every morning before my swim, I must skim dozens of beetles off the surface of the water.

This week, lovebugs arrived. They come around twice a year. We hardly notice them. Unfortunately, this season they are swarming!

Lovebugs are the size of a grain of rice and are attracted to light objects. The bumper of my pearl-white truck  grows a beard after a long journey. The bugs leave behind an acid-like goo that destroys the paint. Car washes make a killing.

Restaurants lose business when people avoid outdoor seating. I wasn’t able to read a book outside for days.  My white legs attracted small groups of winged travelers that stick to freshly lotioned body parts. 

I really shouldn’t be so hard on lovebugs. They help to recycle by breaking down organic matter during their larval stage. They don’t bite, sting, or spread disease. And they aren’t poisonous. 

But what a nuisance!

Florida is famous for more than its abundant bugs. Don’t get me started on the pesky frogs, snakes, and lizards.

Does anything bug you where you live?