Twice a year in Florida those stupid bugs come out and make driving not much fun to put it mildly. If you don't clean them off as we Floridians know they will eat into your paint big time. Ok so anyone come up with your own home made method of cleaning those critters off easily? Makes me want to store my car the the next month and a half or so till the bugs are gone.
Aaahhh crap! It's Love bug season again.
- Thread starter Silvasoup
- Start date
HAHA!! Soon as I saw the title I knew it was a fellow Floridian! Extra trips to the car wash.. thats what I have allways done. 
Someone is going to ask so here is a little info... if you want to know about them,
FIRST A PIC. See why we call them LOVE BUGS?? haha..
FROM ABOUT.COM...
http://gainesville.about.com/od/artsentertainmentevents/p/Lovebugs.htm
Go to the bottom to see what it does the the cars here...
Every year during the months of May and September tiny creatures swarm into Gainesville. Some think they're cute; some think they're pests. But whatever you think, the love bugs aren't going anywhere.
The sheer quantity of these amorous insects often has motorists in an uproar - mainly because they tend to splat against windshields, grills, and hoods no matter where you're driving. Still, love bugs do not carry diseases, don't bite or sting, and thus can be pretty, well, lovable.
Origin of the Beast: Known in the scientific world as Plecia nearctica Hardy, the love bug is believed to have originated in South America and traveled into Texas, Louisiana, and then Florida for the innocent tasks of mating and migrating. They stay mostly in the southern states, rarely traveling further than South Carolina, because of their intolerance for cold weather. Surprisingly, they live most of their lives in the larvae and pupae stages, with adult females surviving a mere 2-3 days.
Urban Legends Abound:
It is theorized - without much merit - that the love bugs were a product of a University of Florida experiment gone wrong. In an attempt to control the mosquito population, UF scientists invented sterile female crossbreeds that would mate with male mosquitos and doom the population. But the scientists accidentally created males, too, and released them into the wild.
Pretty wild, huh?
Why We Can't 'Kill Them Off':
Many motorists and others annoyed by the love bugs ask that an insecticide be produced to control their population growth. But researchers have tried this already and have found it to be ineffective because the large population is spread out over a wide area.
On the plus side, love bugs aid plant growth and do not carry diseases. Killing them off could have negative ecological effects. Instead, natural predators like birds have already reduced the population over the years.
But What About My Car?:
The body fluids eat into your new paint or the bodies themselves cause your radiator to overheat. Even when you try to wash it off, the film left behind can stick for days. It's a pain.
There is a solution, though. Try driving in the early morning or late evening hours, when the bugs are less likely to be flying and mating. You can also opt to drive slower, walk, or bike.
Someone is going to ask so here is a little info... if you want to know about them,
FIRST A PIC. See why we call them LOVE BUGS?? haha..
FROM ABOUT.COM...
http://gainesville.about.com/od/artsentertainmentevents/p/Lovebugs.htm
Go to the bottom to see what it does the the cars here...
Every year during the months of May and September tiny creatures swarm into Gainesville. Some think they're cute; some think they're pests. But whatever you think, the love bugs aren't going anywhere.
The sheer quantity of these amorous insects often has motorists in an uproar - mainly because they tend to splat against windshields, grills, and hoods no matter where you're driving. Still, love bugs do not carry diseases, don't bite or sting, and thus can be pretty, well, lovable.
Origin of the Beast: Known in the scientific world as Plecia nearctica Hardy, the love bug is believed to have originated in South America and traveled into Texas, Louisiana, and then Florida for the innocent tasks of mating and migrating. They stay mostly in the southern states, rarely traveling further than South Carolina, because of their intolerance for cold weather. Surprisingly, they live most of their lives in the larvae and pupae stages, with adult females surviving a mere 2-3 days.
Urban Legends Abound:
It is theorized - without much merit - that the love bugs were a product of a University of Florida experiment gone wrong. In an attempt to control the mosquito population, UF scientists invented sterile female crossbreeds that would mate with male mosquitos and doom the population. But the scientists accidentally created males, too, and released them into the wild.
Pretty wild, huh?
Why We Can't 'Kill Them Off':
Many motorists and others annoyed by the love bugs ask that an insecticide be produced to control their population growth. But researchers have tried this already and have found it to be ineffective because the large population is spread out over a wide area.
On the plus side, love bugs aid plant growth and do not carry diseases. Killing them off could have negative ecological effects. Instead, natural predators like birds have already reduced the population over the years.
But What About My Car?:
The body fluids eat into your new paint or the bodies themselves cause your radiator to overheat. Even when you try to wash it off, the film left behind can stick for days. It's a pain.
There is a solution, though. Try driving in the early morning or late evening hours, when the bugs are less likely to be flying and mating. You can also opt to drive slower, walk, or bike.
I hate em!!?//##^!!.............ect, ect. Since my wife and I use our cars almost every day it means a wash on both cars at the end of the day. Using a car wash to do this is not cost effective...sooo it means some work on my part. I use to have a bra on the front bumper of the Supra. I didn't like the looks it gave to the car and you had to be careful on trapped moisture underneath the bra,so I got rid of it. Oh yeah and those crappy love bugs love to cling to every inch of your clothing as you are washing the car. Makes me want to move out of Florida sometimes.
Last edited:
i feel ya man. we have just started the love bug season out here, out in east texas its much more a problem than it is here in dfw. just ride it out, keep a damn rag in a zip lock bag and wipe them off when you stop, not the greatest solution but its better than washing every day
JustAnotherVictim
Supramania Contributor
No doubt, they are annoying as all hell. I'd love to find a way to kill them all off :3d_frown:
AND THEY ARE SO DAMN STUPID - I mean it - they have ZERO survival mechanism to them!
AND THEY ARE SO DAMN STUPID - I mean it - they have ZERO survival mechanism to them!
TOMA70E said:
I would look into a company called Venture Shield. They Have A better clear sheild. A friend of myne has the 3m on his Mini and it is turning yellow on the edges.. It was installed when he bought the mini new from the dealership.. The dealership told him to call 3m, they are going to replace it but they told him they are working on on fixing the yellowing problem.
Here is the venture shield site. They seem to not yellow like the 3m does..
http://www.ventureshield.com/
