Did the University of Florida create lovebugs?

Rumor: 'Love bugs' are the result of a genetic experiment gone wrong at the University of Florida. read more

It was first identified in southeastern Texas in 1940 and has since spread through the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as Georgia and South Carolina. Fasulo said there are two generations of lovebugs each year, and large adult populations are present during May and September. read more

Lovebugs escaped after University of Florida researchers brought them into Florida. Lovebugs are not native to most of the southern United States (Hardy 1945). According to Buschman (1976), since 1940 P. nearctica has extended its range from Louisiana and Mississippi across the Gulf States, reaching Florida in 1949. read more