Sunday, August 19, 2012

Wondering about Love Bugs

I am wondering about Love Bugs; no, not the cute little Walt Disney Volkswagen in several of his movies (remember them?) but the ones that appear in this area (and a lot of the south coastal areas) this time of year.  They did not get their name because people just "love" to have them appear every year (and some times twice a year), but because they are usually seen flying around coupled together.  They look like two headed bugs.  Most people, if not all, do not like them.  They seem to be attracted to highways.  Some believe that it is the smell of the fumes or the asphalt that attracts them since they may think it smells like swamp gas.  Because of this attraction to highways, they are really disliked.  Hundreds get smashed on your windshield and the front of your vehicle, dry as hard as cement very quickly, and are very, very hard to wash off.  They have an odor that most of us finds offensive.  So, with all these traits, it is really hard to love Love Bugs!!

I have heard ever since I moved to this area about them and was warned that they could damage the paint.  That is not true, they do not damage the pain but I have heard of people trying to remove them have damaged the paint.  I have no idea how to prevent them from sticking to your vehicle.  Maybe you could cover it with grease, but then it would be hard to see out the windshield (grin).  Now there is one way to prevent this messy situation, is to only drive at night.  Can you imagine that Love Bugs don't go out at night?  Gee, I wonder what they do at night. . .  Now, you all have a lovely day today, you hear?

16 comments:

  1. It's amazing how educational a blog can be. I never knew why they were called love bugs!

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  2. Never heard of em. And where did i see to clean the bugs off the front of vehicles, wipe with dryer sheets?

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  3. We have plenty here in SE Louisiana. They lay eggs in the leaves here and hatch out a couple of times a year. When I was driving a truck we had them so bad one year that I had to have the truck radiator pressure washed after 50 miles and that was with a bug screen. They seem to like the non-color white and gasoline so when I was still flying the white avgas truck would be covered. Day before yesterday when I was out and about I noticed the white car parked next to my red car was covered. I have my own name for them which I won't relay here but the initials are BFB.

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    1. This is what I had to say in my Journal on Sep 22, 2008.

      Another lingering memory of MS & AL will be the "love-bugs" (2 bugs about 1/2" long with black wings and yellowish guts that are joined at the abdomen; they face away from each other yet are able to fly in one direction while so joined). By the time I got to River Falls, AL, where I stopped for gas, my windshield was so covered with bug splats that I could hardly see - they were also very difficult to wash off (the locals suggested that I use a wet "dryer sheet", those sheets you add to the dryer). My front license plate was not readable through all the black wings that were pasted to it by bug guts and what had once been a red car now looked like it had a black front grill.

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  4. They do tend to come out in force certain times of the year. Just as happy that we don't have to deal with those up here in NH. My dad in FL on the other hand, washes his car every day.

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  5. One year it took me four coin operated car washes to make it from Athens to Jasper. Less than 200 miles.

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  6. We used to call them "telephone bugs" 'cause they said hello then...hung up!

    Sure has been a lot of them around the last couple of years!

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  7. Gypsy, I have seen a lot of them and they always come in pairs.

    Trouble, You mean you don't have them where you live? I guess it is too dry and not enough swamps. The reason they congregate on highways is that the fumes smell like swamp gas.

    Oldfool, they show up here in the Spring and late Summer. A lot of people have a lot of not so nice names for them.

    Sixbears, love bugs are not the only thing that can mess up a pleasant drive. I was driving the outer banks of N.C. one night and the road was covered with frogs. It was like driving on ice only a lot more messy.

    Bob from A, I can believe that, you drove through some really wet damp areas.

    HJ, "Telephone Bugs" now that is a good one. I will have to remember that one.

    David, I bet you don't. They don't bite or sting, just make a mess of the front of your vehicle.

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  8. I think there is always some kind of interesting wildlife to explore, wherever you go.

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  9. We have the annual invasion of crickets,,,does that count? Zillions, and more! Also, the monarch butterflys do that when they migrate thru here.

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  10. Jill, you are so right, you just have to take time to look.

    Trouble, sure that counts. I have witnessed the Monarch butterfly migration and when thousands of them settled down for the night - magnificant!!!

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  11. You might enjoy reading about the fables told about the lovebugs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebug

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  12. I guess they have never bothered me, aren't I lucky!

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  13. bugs I can put up with, snake in the yarn bin...No.

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  14. MsB, I am glad they only show up a couple times a year.

    Jill, My wife thinks that a disgruntled husband did it, I just think a kid did it, who do you think did it?

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