Love Bugs?!?

[stlted]

I just returned from a vacation in Florida and timed it right to hit love bug season.I fortunately had a rental car but just cleaning the windshield was next to impossible. How do you residents deal with this?

[greg0303]

Re: Love Bugs?!?

Tell me about it.

I was in Southern Florida late March attending AutoGeek's Detail Fest and the same thing - bugs all over windshield and front of the car. It was rental as well.

It must be Meguiar's bestseller there:

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_detail.asp?T1=MEG+G10716

[JoeDirt]

Re: Love Bugs?!?

I've always used decently light/moderate pressure with my hand and a paste (sprinkle over a wet windshield then a light mist to wet it) of Bon Ami or Barkeepers Friend, no abrasives. Great for getting off grime from the windshield too.

[TOGWT]

Re: Love Bugs?!?

The adult is a small, flying insect common to parts of Central America and the south-eastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. Because airborne love bugs 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 will become acidic (>4 pH) if heat and moisture (reactivity) are added, so remove as soon as possible. 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

To remove - pre-soak heavy bug contamination with 1z einszett Anti-Insekt + Pre-Cleaner easily removes bug carcasses but doesn't remove wax / sealant paint protection soak a micro fibre towel and let it sit for 4-5 minutes before removing. Then use a (pre-soaked then wring damp) Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad the open-cell construction 'grabs' foreign matter on your cars paint surface and safely removes it. Then use an Optimum No Rinse (ONR) solution, 2oz per gallon / distilled water. It’s completely harmless to the paint or glass surfaces, a very efficient and safe way of removing harmful baked on bug debris due to its non-abrasive nature.

[pmcjr]

Re: Love Bugs?!?

I just returned from a vacation in Florida and timed it right to hit love bug season.I fortunately had a rental car but just cleaning the windshield was next to impossible. How do you residents deal with this?

Welcome to Florida. I live here and deal with these critters every year. I hate going on the Interstate because of them. The secret is not to let them stay on the car. I wash off the affected areas, eg, bumper, grill, windshield, immediately after getting home. I use APC on the windshield then Detailer Glass Cleaner. On the bumper, often plain water and a soft cloth will work. If necessary, I spray a very diluted Simple Green on the affected areas.

[cnfowler]

Re: Love Bugs?!?

...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 will become acidic (>4 pH) if heat and moisture (reactivity) are added, so remove as soon as possible. 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...

Yup, I've seen many a finishes completely ruined due to love bugs. 18 years in Florida - you just learn to deal with it and wash often. Love bug season doesn't last forever, but sometimes it sure seems that way.


Colin

[Mr Miyagi]

Re: Love Bugs?!?

Herbie?