In the South, small mayflies called lovebugs appear in the Spring and the Fall. Some season have few, and others have swarms that turn your car windshield into a grimy, streaked paste of black bug goop. Removing them can be a challenge, and if you wait a long time, the sun bakes them into a bug "concrete" that is hard to remove.
This season is appearing to be a bad one. They're everywhere, and increasing daily. How long until this peaks remains to be seen, but even short trips lead to dozens on the grill and windshield.
I've found dryer sheets are good. You wet the front of the car, get a bucket of water, and use the dryer sheets to rub on the bugs. Keeping things wet is important, so avoiding allowing things to dry is important. It doesn't take intense scrubbing. Constantly keeping the mess wet, with gentle rubbing removes the bugs, and prepares the car for a wash. Allowing things to dry leaves a residue, which is unsightly.
So, here we go again. This is twice a year without fail, and will never go away.
Damn. I haven't seen a love bug in 14 years, since I moved out of Florida to Ohio. I don't miss'em a bit. Nasty, yucky critters.
ReplyDeleteAnd they smell awful when wet.
DeleteThey taste even worse. 🤮
DeleteIt ruins a motorcycle ride when they're swarming.
DeleteOnly see them on rare occasions here. Don't miss them.
ReplyDeleteThe larvae are reported to be beneficial to the health of soil. Maybe so, but they should stay away from busy roads.
DeleteAnd if you don't clean them off quickly, they WILL eat the paint off when you finally DO clean the car/truck up.
ReplyDeleteI had a relative that had paint problems due to allowing the bugs to stay on for a long period of time. Me? I've never had that problem, even after leaving them on for a long period of time, but that was on newer work trucks, and the paints must be better.
Delete