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Love Bugs

Yup, the little buggers are the scourge of the southern climates. Their niche in life is to help break down decaying plant matter and of course to splatter their soft bodies all over whatever you may be driving.
The remnants of their splat is very corrosive to most paints so removing them from your ride asap is paramount. A few years back a frat brother told me about Bounce dryer sheets, just wet them and wipe down your car , bike etc..
the bugs come right off, just rinse really well afterwards. Tried it and I'm a believer, no scrubbing at all just a gentle wipe and off they come, just remember to rinse well. Pledge used before hand helps with the removal of these guys.
BTW,, they don't taste like chicken!
 
Actually they attracted to any carbon based residue (including motor exhausts) but they will swarm around freshly cut hay pastures or newly painted homes etc.

Back in the 70's they said that they were 'thought' to eat mosquittos and that a research team at the University of Florida had intruded them to Florida. But that kinda died away without validity and then I've heard several stories since. I really don't know where they come from, but it sure was nice before they were here. Thankfully they only live about a month (twice a year) and then they go away.

I've found that IF you have a good polish or wax or pledge base coat on your vehicle you can go about a day (prior to washing) before permanent damage to the surface occurs. But the sooner the better since the acid from these bugs start to break down the finish of whatever they are on. I've seen cars that were never washed and they have spots all along the front of the hood where the paint was eaten away.

My Stepson rides out in Texas and he says the have these huge locust out there that will really bean you one at speeds.
 
How far North do they come? What month's do they come out so I know when not to head south.

From earlier posts:

Actually Love Bugs are asexual and one is giving birth while the other one is dying. They come out in May and September. Been dealing with these little pests since the early 70's. They seem to go down as far at Vero Beach. We don't have them in South Florida. Nasty metallic smelling!!!!! PAM also works well as a way of keeping them from sticking.

I remember one trip from Kissimmee (central FL) to Melbourne (E. coast) in my girlfriends Taurus, about 40 miles. The love bugs were so thick I had the wiper/washers on most of the way. When I got home, I started to wash the car, and was gagging and heaving the whole time. NASTY does not begin to describe them. Called Lovebugs because they always fly tail to tail. I have heard that they are attracted to carbon monoxide, hence the reason they congregate near highways. Birds and toads won't eat them.
I don't have to worry about them in GA.
florida-lovebugs.jpg
 
Been dealing with these pesky buggers for a long time. I use Rejex this time of year on the front of my cars and RG. Helps alot. I also carry a wet towel in a zipper bag to wipe done the front when I arrive before they dry onto the paint. When I get home, front end gets a big wash.

RejeX: Nothing Sticks but the Shine!
 
Been dealing with these pesky buggers for a long time. I use Rejex this time of year on the front of my cars and RG. Helps alot. I also carry a wet towel in a zipper bag to wipe done the front when I arrive before they dry onto the paint. When I get home, front end gets a big wash.

RejeX: Nothing Sticks but the Shine!

That's a sealant right ? Do you buy that locally or do you have to order online ? I've never seen sealants for sale where I look, just wax and polish.

We had a local detailer outfit put it on my wife's trailblazer and it does do a great job.
 
How far North do they come? What month's do they come out so I know when not to head south.

I'm in S.E. Georgia, just north of Jacksonville, and I've seen them as far north as Savannah. Nasty little creatures they are....
 
The lovebug, Plecia nearctica, is a member of the family of march flies. It is also known as the honeymoon fly, kissingbug or double-headedbug. The adult is a small, flying insect common to parts of Central America and the southeastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast.[1] During and after mating, adult pairs remain coupled, even in flight, for up to several days.[2]

The lovebug was first described in 1940 by D. E. Hardy from Galveston, Texas. At that time, he reported the incidence of lovebugs to be widespread, but most common in Texas and Louisiana.[1] However, by the end of the 20th century the species had spread heavily to all areas bordering the Gulf of Mexico, as well as Georgia, and South Carolina. L. A. Hetrick, writing in 1970, found it very widespread in central and northern Florida and described its flights as reaching altitudes of 300 to 450 metres (980 to 1,480 ft) and extending several kilometers over the Gulf.[3] In 2006, it was reported as far north as Wilmington, North Carolina.[4]

The larvae (maggots) feed on partially decayed vegetation in the landscape and, in this respect, are beneficial. Adults feed only on nectar during their brief lifespan
Lovebug flights can number in the hundreds of thousands. The slow, drifting movement of the insects is almost reminiscent of snow fall except the flies also rise in the air. Two major flights occur each year, first in late spring, then again in late summer. In south Florida, a third (but smaller) flight can occur in December.[1] The spring flight occurs during late April and May, the summer during late August and September. Flights extend over periods of four to five weeks.[3] Mating takes place almost immediately after emergence of the females. Adult females live only three to four days, while males live a little longer.[1
This species' reputation as a public nuisance is due not to any bite or sting (it is incapable of either), but to its slightly acidic body chemistry. Because airborne lovebugs can exist in enormous numbers near highways, they die en masse on automobile windshields, hoods, and radiator grills when the vehicles travel at high speeds. If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become dried and extremely difficult to remove. Their body chemistry has a nearly neutral 6.5 pH but may become acidic at 4.25 pH if left on the car for a day.[1] In the past, the acidity of the dead adult body, especially the female's egg masses, often resulted in pits and etches in automotive paint and chrome if not quickly removed.[5] However, advances in automotive paints and protective coatings have reduced this threat significantly. Now the greatest concern is excessive clogging of vehicle radiator air passages with the bodies of the adults, with the reduction of the cooling effect on engines, and the obstruction of windshields when the remains of the adults and egg masses are smeared on the glass.[1]

Lovebug adults are attracted to light-colored surfaces, especially if they are freshly painted, but the adults can congregate almost anywhere by reacting to the effects of sunlight on automobile fumes, asphalt, and other products affected by environmental factors still not completely understood.[1]
Urban legend holds that love bugs are synthetic—the result of a University of Florida genetics experiment gone wrong.[2]

Speculation about the lovebug abounds. This is partly because the immature stage of this insect is an unseen beneficial (lives and feeds in the thatch of grasses) for most of the year. As a result, most scientists are not as concerned with the details of this insect's life cycle, biology and other facets of its existence as they are with more serious pests. While various fungi are known or suspected of being natural controls for this species,[1] time and funding do not allow for more study, except as a side interest.

Research of L. L. Buschman showed that migration explained the introduction of the lovebug into Florida and other southeastern states, contrary to the urban myth that the University of Florida created them by manipulating DNA to control mosquito populations.[
Lovebugs are subject to some significant natural controls, such as various parasitic fungi,[1] and dry weather—which dries out the thatch resulting in a higher mortality rate for the larvae. As the lovebug migrated around the Gulf Coast, first to Texas, then Louisiana, then further eastward, the initial populations for many years were so excessive that they caused public concern and initiated rumors of their origin. However, as pest populations migrate naturally, their natural controls are usually not far behind. While it often took years (as in decades), lovebug flights are no longer present in the huge numbers that once existed simply because their natural controls (mostly fungi) caught up with established populations. In many areas, local lovebug flights may only be present in excessively large numbers due to occasional local conditions that may not be repeated in successive years.

While lovebugs are not a favored food of most insectivores due to their acidic taste, lovebug larvae—and some adults—are food for birds such as quail and robins. Arthropod predators include spiders, some predatory insects such as earwigs and at least two species of beetle larvae, and a centipede.[5]
 
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