Love Bugs Have Arrived Apparently

According to an article in today%26#39;s Orlando Sentinel, the annual Love Bugs have arrived for May along with some swarming little bugs called Midges, mixing in with the smoke from the wildfires.

Here%26#39;s the article:

';Smoke and bugs make a nasty mix

Robert Perez

Sentinel Staff Writer

May 11, 2007

It%26#39;s been a bad week to be outside.

If smoke from the massive brush fires across Central Florida wasn%26#39;t obscuring rush-hour commutes or stinging eyes and lungs, lovebugs were splatting on windshields.

And in northern Seminole County, millions of pesky midges swarmed ashore, mixing with lovebugs in kamikaze clouds that tangled in hair, flew up noses or provided unexpected snacks.

';People were saying: %26#39;The bugs are terrible,%26#39; %26#39;The smoke is terrible,%26#39; '; said Nicole Giannopoulos, assistant store manager, at the Mobil on the Go gas station at State Road 46 and Interstate 4.

Earlier this week, the number of people paying for carwashes at the station tripled over an average day, she said.

The midges had been kept in check in recent months with chemical spraying and giant lights that float on three barges and draw the bugs out onto Lake Monroe. But winds from the north and west -- driven by Subtropical Depression Andrea spinning off the Florida coast -- not only pushed more of the midges onshore, they also ran one barge aground and damaged another, said Jonas Silas, director of Volusia County%26#39;s mosquito-control department.

That meant the midges were back en masse just as the worst of the smoke settled over the Sanford waterfront. It wasn%26#39;t long before little mounds of decaying midge carcasses were being blown along downtown streets.

';It was just horrid yesterday [Wednesday],'; said Carol Curley, banquet manager for Oscar%26#39;s Restaurant, which overlooks Lake Monroe.

The midge infestation also made for a more exotic experience for people at the Central Florida Zoo, also on the Lake Monroe waterfront.

';We had tons of midges,'; said Joe Montisanothe zoo%26#39;s chief executive officer. ';We told people: %26#39;It doesn%26#39;t always smell like this. Just swat them away and keep moving.%26#39; ';

The foul conditions and swarming bugs this week made things a bit difficult for a film crew from Icelandic Airlines that was at the zoo trying to shoot a promotional piece touting the beauty of Central Florida.

';You should have seen the look on their faces when they stepped out of their car,'; Montisano said.

Curley said she is worried that the mix of smoke, wind and bugs will continue through Sunday, when Oscar%26#39;s has a Mother%26#39;s Day brunch planned.

As if conditions weren%26#39;t bad enough for Curley, she also picked this week to quit smoking.

She quipped as she worked her Nicorette gum Thursday: ';God is telling me I need smoke in my life.';

Robert Perez can be reached at rperez@orlandosentinel.com or 407-322-1298.';

Love Bugs Have Arrived Apparently

They are so bad over here that the kids can%26#39;t go outside to play. They are covering the house and cars.

I have long curly hair and I ran from my car to the store and they were all stuck in the curls. YUCK!

Love Bugs Have Arrived Apparently

Ewwwwwwwwww

Sorry to hear that, ariesfire. As for my residence, I%26#39;ve seen the love bugs, but they haven%26#39;t been bad.

I hop these midges don%26#39;t make it to the West coast.

Not too bad here yet ... a little smoke, one or two lovebugs, but no midges.

can i ask how the smoke is in Orlando? I live in Brandon and the smoke was not bad when i left the house this morning. However, in Tampa, where i work, it%26#39;s really bad. The smoke is getting into my building.

We are suppose to head to MK tomorrow for a girls trip for mother%26#39;s day. I would hate to cancel it but i don%26#39;t want to walk around in the smoke all day either.

I think it%26#39;s all going to depend on which way the wind is blowing. The storm off the east coast has had the wind blowing east to west the last few days, but it%26#39;s now weakened and may not be doing such anymore.

If the wind is blowing west to east tomorrow, as it normally does, you shouldn%26#39;t have too much problem.

hildyi, smoke today is not bad at all. nowhere like it has been that%26#39;s for sure. you can only lightly smell it, but i guess it depends on how the wind is blowing. i hope it stays this good might want to post in the morning and see how bad it is, because it%26#39;s usually bad in the morning and then goes away.

love bugs, not really a problem up here, but those midges are kinda bad- they seem to want to go up your noise! LOL

excuse me- nose

Count your blessings Eddie. Going to get my trashcan from the street turned into something out of a Hitchcock flick. They are just swarming around everything.

However, we do not have smoke so I guess you take the good with the bad.

We are heading to Ron Jons resort in Cocoa for the weekend and I can%26#39;t even imagine how horrible it will be if the love bugs have invaded that area as well.

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