Love Bugs

J

joshtpa

New member
This is by far the worst I have ever scene the love bugs down here in FL. You cannot even play golf because they are swarming. Are other places having the same results? There are reports on the local news that this year there are 3-5 times more love bugs than any other year in the past.
 
I've seen alot of cars that are just covered in bugs. Fortunately, they're not too bad around me, but you can definately tell the interstate travelers. My car is dirtier than usual, but not overwhelmingly so.
 
I was down in Orlando last week, its like a scene from a cheap sci-fi movie. The highway is the worst, every few seconds you hear a tip.....tap.....tap...sooner or later your windshield is barely visible and your bumper looks like it has hair. The worst is they have higly acidic body chemistry and pit the paint.
 
joshtpa said:
This is by far the worst I have ever scene the love bugs down here in FL. You cannot even play golf because they are swarming. Are other places having the same results? There are reports on the local news that this year there are 3-5 times more love bugs than any other year in the past.
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Not love bugs, but I am driving my Denali across country and carrying ONR in QD concentration in a spray bottle. Using one of the squeegee tools like we find in gas stations, I spray the nose, bumper and windshield, use the "scrungie" end to clear the bugs, squeegee the windshield, quick wipe the nose, mirrors, headlights and the car is perfect - like it was just washed. Greatest thing I ever did and noticed by others. One guy asked - "What is that stuff?"

Best part - all done while the car is being fueled and no acid eteching the nose over the 5 day trip.
 
Here in Jax it's calm down a bit, but it was real bad earlier this month. I know in August they spawn twice as much here!!!
 
I heard that they spawn during ealry spring, vanish a bit, and then re-spawn twice as much late summer in Aug.



Also no other insect eats love bug so that's why there's endless swarms of them.
 
they are so annoying. even worse all the stores are out of bug cleaners. went to five different auto stores and nobody had any in stock. it takes forever to scrub them off.



have to go to Tampa on Thursday so I guess I'll have to put the bra back on the car. at least they don't bite.
 
Here's what I found on the net.....



Two flights of lovebugs occur each year. The spring flight occurs during late April and May. A second flight occurs during late August and September. Flights extend over periods of 4 to 5 weeks.



There are several things that can be done to lessen the problem facing motorists. By traveling at night motorists can avoid the insects; lovebugs reach peak activity at 10:00 am and stop flying at dusk. Traveling at slower speeds will reduce the number of bugs that will be spattered. A large screen placed in the front of the grill will keep the radiator fins from clogging, and will protect the finish on the front of the car. If a large screen is not used in front of the grill, at least place a small screen behind the grill in front of the radiator.



Spattered bugs should be washed off the car as soon as possible. Lovebugs are more easily removed, and the chance of damaging the car's finish is lessened if the car has been waxed recently. When the remains are left on an unwaxed car for several days, the finish will often be permanently damaged. Soaking for several minutes with water aids in their removal. When lovebugs are numerous, some motorists spread a light film of baby oil over the front of the hood, above the windshield and on the grill and bumper. This practice will make their removal a simpler task.
 
I just drove from Sarasota to Naples, and it was like a scene from The Birds. You literally couldn't see after driving for a half hour. There were thousands splattered on the car. It took a solid hour to remove them.



I tried Turtle Wax bug remover (only stuff left on the shelf). It was totally useless.
 
Just returned from Siesta Key and they were annoying. This was our 5th yearly trip down there and always the week before memorial Day weekend and I never saw them before. Some said it was due to a mild winter and others said that they are kind of like locusts in that some years are heavier than others. Glad I was driving a rental car...
 
I hate love bugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!, so far with opti-seal my bad luck with them looks very good so far, just wash and they come off very easily, now the wife's car is another story.......
 
Man, I'm so glad I moved away from the MS Gulf Coast to NC! My first year after I moved from NJ to MS, I got tired of cleaning off the love bugs every day so I decided to just let them accumulate and I'd get them when the love bugs had passed. BIG mistake. The entire bumper needed repainting. Their acid filled carcasses had eaten through CC, BC and even primer.

After learning my lesson, I would apply sealant, then wax, then another coat of wax that I left on. Re-applied the wax once or twice a week, depending on how bad they were.
 
SamXp said:
Man, I'm so glad I moved away from the MS Gulf Coast to NC! My first year after I moved from NJ to MS, I got tired of cleaning off the love bugs every day so I decided to just let them accumulate and I'd get them when the love bugs had passed. BIG mistake. The entire bumper needed repainting. Their acid filled carcasses had eaten through CC, BC and even primer.

After learning my lesson, I would apply sealant, then wax, then another coat of wax that I left on. Re-applied the wax once or twice a week, depending on how bad they were.
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Oh, man, that's terrible.... Hate to make you guys jealous, but I can still drive about five miles around here before I even get the smallest of bug hits. :)
 
It still is worth it to me in the end so that I can play golf 12 months a year, and go to the beach 12 months a year too.
 
Yes, I hear that its supposed to end soon... but you wouldn't know it.



It's like they're trying to get the "last word" here before they're gone (if indeed, the news people aren't lying to us!)



I mean, it has increased to a ridiculous level in the past couple of days. Just today alone, I went from maybe 1-2 on the front end up at least what looked like 15-16, plus hits on the hood, in between the grill, on the windshield, etc.



It's a big mess :(
 
Also, I'd like to add that the other day, I accidentally sprayed some Meg's APC (cut 4:1!) on a lovebug. I thought I had the spray bottle full of ONR - go me :o .



Anyway, the point of what I'm saying is that the lovebug really slid off (with a towel, of course) with barely any residue at all.



However, I should also point out that the freshest LSPs on my paint are Aquawax and then Collinite 845 on top... so I'm sure that had something to do with it :)
 
I am currently washing every 2 weeks and reapplying P21S after each wash. I drive to/from Gainesville a few times a week usually, and you can imagine how bad they cake up.... however with fresh P21S they have literally been coming right off with soap and water... it is a miracle! Our other cars though... it's a disaster.



Are there any products on the market that are enzyme based or something that break these little guys down?
 
Usually when I can't wash during the weekends, I use a QD like Z-6, or JW Quick Wash and they usually come off as soon as you're done driving. Since I have multiple coats of Zaino on my clear bra the bugs come right off with water or a QD.
 
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