Lovebugs in bloom!

MissM

MissM

Well-Known Member
Just a head's up to those heading to Florida/WDW in the next few weeks, the Lovebugs are out! We started seeing them about a week or two ago and the numbers are increasing. Last weekend driving on I-4, every car we saw was just covered in them.

There seem to be more this year than in recent years so just a warning. Even in the parks they were lazily floating along, bumping into guests and such. Annoying but not much to do about it. Put a good wax on the car and stock up on windshield wiper fluid if you're coming this way! :lol:


(For those who don't know what a lovebug is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebug They breed in May and September so those two times of year you see them. You have to take care to remove them promptly from your car because they are acidic and eat/damage the paint. They can also clog radiators and cause vehicles to overheat. And, they're also a driving hazard because they fill your windshield and make it hard to see. They don't wash off from windshield wipers alone. You really have to scrub the buggers off.)
 
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Jerm

Jerm

Well-Known Member
Oh I can't wait, when I visited a few years ago if you opened your moth for to long you were in trouble.

May 15 will be just as bad as it is now.
 
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Pluto Princess

Pluto Princess

Member
Have not seen too many here in SE Florida yet, but my fiancée and I drove to the West coast this weekend and ran into a TON. They are definitely making their way out!
 
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Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
They weren't too bad at WDW this past weekend, but my sister in Bradenton said they were pretty bad down her way. We saw a ot of cars in the parking lots with windshields smeared with them.
 
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MissM

MissM

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Foolish Mortal said:
Hey M (or any other locals), how do you think their #'s will be around the weel of 5/15 ?
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Honestly, it's hard to say. The swarm can last anywhere from 4-6 weeks. It's been pretty light the last few years but, especially on I-4, there were LOTS of cars just covered in them.

So with them showing up the end of April, means they could be mostly done by mid-May or they might linger through the end of May. It's still better than it's been years and years ago. It used to really be almost unbearable.
 
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Rob562

Rob562

Well-Known Member
Good. With any luck they'll be all but gone by the time I arrive on June 2nd. ;)

I've visited during lovebug season 2 or 3 times before. Yuck.

-Rob
 
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The Mom

The Mom

Moderator
Premium Member
Nemo14 said:
They weren't too bad at WDW this past weekend, but my sister in Bradenton said they were pretty bad down her way. We saw a ot of cars in the parking lots with windshields smeared with them.
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Don't I know it - I spent the weekend there, at an outdoor event! This was my 3rd year to be there, it's the same weekend every year, and this is the first time I've seen them. And did I ever see them - especially on Sunday.

Literally swarms covering everything.

BTW, they aren't attracted to car fumes (AFIAK) but rather decaying vegetation and standing water - like the grass left behind when highway medians are mowed and the drainage ditches along the roadside.

Make sure you have something you can use to wipe your windshield - I found that just using the windshield wipers made things worse for several seconds, and left a lot of spots where the body remnants would stick.
 
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rsoxguy

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
The Mom said:
BTW, they aren't attracted to car fumes (AFIAK) but rather decaying vegetation and standing water - like the grass left behind when highway medians are mowed and the drainage ditches along the roadside.
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They are attracted to UV irradiated aldehydes, a major component of automobile exhaust fumes. It is thought that they confuse these chemicals for the natural organic scents of vegetation. They also like warmer temperatures, hence their attraction to the heat of the highway.
 
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The Mom

The Mom

Moderator
Premium Member
rsoxguy said:
They are attracted to UV irradiated aldehydes, a major component of automobile exhaust fumes. It is thought that they confuse these chemicals for the natural organic scents of vegetation. They also like warmer temperatures, hence their attraction to the heat of the highway.
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Thank you - I did not know that. Since I was not near any automobiles, but was near lots of vegetation and a body of water, the vegetation explanation I was given made more sense at the time, and it never crossed my mind that there might be something, other than terrain, that would make cars, buses, etc attractive.
Of course, the person who told me about the vegetation also thought they were imported to fight mosquitoes, which I discovered isn't the case. ;)
 
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W

wizards8507

Active Member
Yeah, the love bugs were my "welcome" present when I was down apartment-hunting a couple of weekends ago. No snow in Orlando, but I'll have to put up with those buggers twice a year.

Somehow, I think I'll manage.
 
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dave&di

dave&di

Well-Known Member
We visit Florida every 2nd Sept, and have noticed the Love bugs but there has not been too many, but last Sept, when we were in Clearwater there were alot, we paid $25 to rent a cabana for a day at out hotel but the thing was covered in Love bugs and I couldn't sit on it. My BF sat on his for about 1 hour but I was annoyed after pacing the beach with no seat so we left them :mad:
 
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