Love Bug (Plecia nearctica): Is it Really Love or Just that She is the Boss

Here they come again... the love making windshield smashing annoying little creatures commonly refered as love bugs. Twice a year, they come and meet my windshield and my broom when I have to get rid of the corpse collection in the front of my house. Turns out they are not bugs, but insects. To be classified as bugs, insects need to have feeding tubes instead of chewing mouthparts, so the love bug which actually is a fly doesn't qualify. Male love bugs (to the left of the picture) are usually smaller than their female counterparts (right side of picture), so they get dragged around like unnecessary baggage. Females are probably larger due to their reproductive system which includes ovaries that contain 70% of the total protein in the love bug. These females might have to sacrifice development of other organs in favor of their reproductive system, thus the noticeably smaller heads and eyes. You can read more about these flies in this article from the University of Florida.