LOVE BUGS

[Capt_BJ]

be advised: love bug season is here and going STRONG in the Canaveral area right now.  It is one of the heavier swarms I've seen in the last 12 years .... last few years had been minimal but right now HEAVY.

 

If not familiar these are harmless but you will encounter places where it is like driving thru rain for the splats on the front of car and glass.  Left on for too long they can damage paint . . . . they are attracted to heat .... drawn to highways and hot motors

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[Pyrate13]

Hated love bug season when we lived there.🤬

[Ashland]

So every year at this time ?

 

[Pyrate13]

Don't know about the coast but in central FL, May and Sept.

[Capt_BJ]

So every year at this time ?

 

You can't set your watch by it but yearly ... twice annually

 

early May and early Sept ...... last few years it was hardly noticeable ... about 6 years ago one session you could practically shovel them in places!  They say the amount of rain impacts numbers .... 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[voljeep]

we will be driving down to FLL/PE next Monday via the turnpike and will have our 'love bug' kit fully loaded in our car

 

make sure the windshield washer is full ... extra gallon of fluid ... windex ... paper towels ... brush ... bags to dispose the paper towels

 

not sure what year it was , but once coming back from south florida, it was amazing ... had to stop at every service plaza which was overrun with people doing exactly the same thing we were doing - trying to be able to see - and basically using your wipers just smears the window shield so you can't even see thru it

 

not exaggerating at all... it was bad

 

[Capt_BJ]

try that on a motorcycle!!!! 

 

that was my first experience with love bugs ..... fortunately I was in a full face helmet but OMG

 

I'd just recently moved to FL from up north (years ago) and was going cross state west to east and had NO IDEA ......

[hrhdhd]

I tried a Scrub Daddy on my car yesterday to get them off and it worked pretty well.

[slidergirl]

those buggers had better be GONE by the 24th.  I've got a week at a friend's cottage on the beach.  I don't want to spend the time inside!!!!!

 

I heard that they are attracted to white.  Someone on another website posted to put a big white bowl with water and some baby oil outside your door or on the corner of your porch - the bugs will gravitate to that bowl and drown...

 

And, I'll be asking for a black rental car...   

[AlexMar]

21 hours ago, voljeep said:

we will be driving down to FLL/PE next Monday via the turnpike and will have our 'love bug' kit fully loaded in our car

 

make sure the windshield washer is full ... extra gallon of fluid ... windex ... paper towels ... brush ... bags to dispose the paper towels

 

not sure what year it was , but once coming back from south florida, it was amazing ... had to stop at every service plaza which was overrun with people doing exactly the same thing we were doing - trying to be able to see - and basically using your wipers just smears the window shield so you can't even see thru it

 

not exaggerating at all... it was bad

 

 

Washer fluid does nothing.  It makes it worst.  You are generally better off not using the fluid and wiping the windshield with the wipers as it just smears the bugs and leaves streaks all over.

 

The turnpike service plazas have the windshield wash stations where they just douse your car with never ending water and you keep running your wipers.  That would probably work, probably. 

[BlueHerons]

I don't know about the burbs but luckily we rarely see them downtown.

[Capt_BJ]

And, I'll be asking for a black rental car...

 

they are attacked to heat ....... that black car is asking for trouble

[slidergirl]

2 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

And, I'll be asking for a black rental car...

 

they are attacked to heat ....... that black car is asking for trouble

Red, then. I never like white rental cars - they scream "rental"...  My friends in Cocoa Beach say they are inundated, too.   One posted a photo of their beach chair covered in the little bugger...

[voljeep]

16 hours ago, AlexMar said:

 

Washer fluid does nothing.  It makes it worst.  You are generally better off not using the fluid and wiping the windshield with the wipers as it just smears the bugs and leaves streaks all over.

 

The turnpike service plazas have the windshield wash stations where they just douse your car with never ending water and you keep running your wipers.  That would probably work, probably. 

they work somewhat if you're will to wait for the 30 cars in front of you to go thru - and like you stated - cars will stay there for a while for the 'unlimited' water ...

 

Ok, just head over to the gas station in the service plaza - good luck with that too ... you're not the first one to think about using their windshield washer brushes - I've seen people yelling at others to get out of their damn way and give them the brush - they've used it long enough ... SECURITY to pump 14 !!!

 

we'll take our own supplies - been there , done that ...

[Carolina Girl 99]

We've got them pretty bad here in SC, but I don't think they're nearly as bad as FL right now. And thanks for the heads up- we're cruising out of PC the beginning of Sept, so I guess I need to be prepared

[Host CJSKIDS]

My husband went to Naples and back today.  You should see the car from the trip home this evening across Alligator Alley, just gross!  They are like glue...

It's not a problem we have here in downtown Miami and not an issue going from Fort Lauderdale to Miami on 95.  

 

Great warning for those visiting Florida this time of year Capt_BJ!

[voljeep]

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 10:50 PM, Host CJSKIDS said:

My husband went to Naples and back today.  You should see the car from the trip home this evening across Alligator Alley, just gross!  They are like glue...

It's not a problem we have here in downtown Miami and not an issue going from Fort Lauderdale to Miami on 95.  

 

Great warning for those visiting Florida this time of year Capt_BJ!

getting worse every day here in Central Florida - we'll be leaving early ( 5-6am ) on Monday for the drive down ... hopefully missing the prime time they're out - 10am - 6pm - but our love bug kit is ready to be loaded ...

[Capt_BJ]

They are few today in Canaveral Cocoa ..... worst is behind us.

 

yesterday I drove for almost an hour and zero hits . . .

[hrhdhd]

Wednesday wasn't bad here in central FL, but Thursday and today, they were worse. Really bad today--I drove 80 miles and have at least 200 on my car. 😡

[AlexMar]

48 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

Wednesday wasn't bad here in central FL, but Thursday and today, they were worse. Really bad today--I drove 80 miles and have at least 200 on my car. 😡

 

On the bright side, you are doing your part to reduce the population of love bugs!

[SRQbeachgirl]

Love bugs are one thing I don't miss since we moved from Florida. That and hurricane season. And snowbirds...

[AlexMar]

13 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

Love bugs are one thing I don't miss since we moved from Florida. That and hurricane season. And snowbirds...

 

Virginia gets hurricanes, too.  And you just get snowbirds in the warmer months since that's where they live when not in Florida.

Edited May 11, 2019 by AlexMar

[SRQbeachgirl]

3 hours ago, AlexMar said:

 

Virginia gets hurricanes, too.  And you just get snowbirds in the warmer months since that's where they live when not in Florida.

 

True. Fortunately we're in NoVa about an hour west of D.C., so we're at least a little inland and our population is pretty stable--since we're right on the edge of the still rural areas.

[Capt_BJ]

I spoke too soon ....

 

today they are back pretty heavy around the house .... and I live close to I-95

 

but it just started raining so maybe this will knock 'em down ... or make 'em worse??

 

I dunno?  🤔

[Swampbabe]

I just drove back from Orlando in a white car 😫 It was pretty bad