Love Bugs!!!!

[MTomlinson07]

I am currently in College Station, TX and there are these damn love bugs everywhere. I`m from Dallas and have never seen them before, but here you drive around for a day and 200 of them (no joke) are stuck to the front end of your vehicle. I wasn`t really worried about them until one of my professors told us today that they have some kind of acid in them that will eat your paint!!! I went to the spray away to day and there was still residue from them all over my paint. What can I do to remove this mess? Also, my professor said to coat the frontend of your vehicle with vaseline and they will not stick, is this a good idea?

[SVR]

Vaseline would make them stick even more I`d say. Several coats of a paint sealant and some paste wax on the front bumper will see most bugs slide off or stick so little that a quick wipe with QD and MF will see them come right off.

[Craigmri]

We got `em her in Florida too and our season for them has just begun. yes its true of you leave them on your paint for more than a day or two they will etch into the paint with or without sealer.



Protecting the paint with a ton of sealer and or wax will help if you wash `em off daily but if you leave `em for days your screwed!



I`ve heard people experiment with different products such as PAM cooking spray and WD-40. The theory is if you spray a film on your paint in the affected areas BEFORE you go out driving the bugs wont stick at all. I would never try this in fear of paint staining.



I recently heard someone suggest Avon`s Skin-So-Soft and I`m thinking about trying this one. If its safe to put on a newborn baby its gotta be safe for paint.



Craig

[togwt]

~One man’s opinion / observations~



The problem that I see with Vaseline is that road grit and etc would also stick to it, which would give you a very abrasive mixture to remove.



An extra coat of sealant and/or wax plus clean/reapply daily…/



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon

[TortoiseAWD]

For protection from the little winged critters, I`ve had decent luck using Pro`s Bug Guard (http://www.prowax.com/specialty_prods.shtml#S-10). I don`t use it regularly, as I don`t get bugged-up too badly just driving around the city. However, when I travel to my parents` house about 40 miles away, Bug Guard been a huge help (interstate and highways lined by corn and bean fields . . . bug central during growing season). Most dead bugs on the treated areas will flush away with a hose when it`s time for your next wash.



Tort

[Jesstzn]

We don`t get Love Bugs here but we do get grass hoppers and I found the *new* slickness of Wolfgang ( new = less than 2 washes old ) is very effective for releasing the remains during a wash.

[halflife78]

The fabric softener sheet you put in the dryer will remove the bugs very easily. Just get one and wet it down and rub it lightly across the front of the car and it almost dissolves them. I haven`t did it on my black car yet but I have done it on my old dark blue and white car and it`s always worked good. It has never shown a negative effect on the paint or clearcoat either.

[Mr. Chemist]

Bugs...aside from the acid that can etch your paint...also have solids. As the bug juices dry out and attack your paint chemically....the dried on solids can now present another hazard...scratching.



So, I would recommend washing them off with a good quality car wash...and a lot of water.

[kustomsol]

Howcum no one has suggested a bra just for love bug season?

[ALAN81]

I can only tell you that when I lived in BOCA RATON FLORIDA I kept extra wax on the front end of my vehicles.every time I washed my car I threw on a coat of wax on the bumper and hood.If the bugs were bad I would take out the power washer and spray them away.Is it foolproof NO but it helps alot

[txz28]

Originally posted by 360RamGuy01

I am currently in College Station, TX and there are these damn love bugs everywhere. I`m from Dallas and have never seen them before, but here you drive around for a day and 200 of them (no joke) are stuck to the front end of your vehicle. I wasn`t really worried about them until one of my professors told us today that they have some kind of acid in them that will eat your paint!!! I went to the spray away to day and there was still residue from them all over my paint. What can I do to remove this mess? Also, my professor said to coat the frontend of your vehicle with vaseline and they will not stick, is this a good idea?



Take heart, the love bugs in that part of Texas are much worse than normal. I drove through Brenham last weekend and hod to stop twice within 10 minutes becasue you could not see out the windshield.

[imported_BretFraz]

2 issues here: How to remove bug residue and how to prevent or minimize their stickiness (for lack of a better word).



To remove bug residue I do the following:



1. Rinse

2. Spray a liberal amount of an alkali cleaner like EFHI, APC, or Hi Temp Bug Juice Remover

3. Let it set up for 30 secs

4. Wash off with soapy mitt

5. Rinse thoroughly

6. Rewash with soapy mitt

7. Dry (or finish washing car)



To protect the paint almost any good wax or sealant will do. Something is better than nothing so use whatever you want. The process I listed will strip off wax and most sealants so a retreatment is necessary.