Love Bug Season

Love bugs are a nuisance on the Florida beach

Love bug season on the Florida beaches occurs twice each year, April-May and August-September. Love bugs get their name from flying connected end-to-end. These tiny flies are a nuisance pest and related to mosquitoes and gnats.

Love bugs are NOT dangerous. They do not bite or sting. They are not poisonous. The problem with Florida love bugs is that they are so slow and they can travel in huge swarms.

Although these tiny flies are very soft, and have no disturbing noise, women become especially frustrated with them because they tickle when landing on skin, and easily become entangled in their hair or land on their nice outfits.

Fortunately for visitors to the Florida beaches, the May love bug season is usually far less abundant than the September one, when most visitors have returned to their own locales.

Love Bugs and Cars - An Infuriating Relationship

Florida love bugs travel in huge swarms and are blown along by the wind. Although it appears that vehicles are like Velcro to them, it just that their swarms are unavoidable.

Car and truck owners can pretty much reach the end of their string after a day of hitting a few swarms and their vehicle looks like a dot-to-dot mutation.

Here's what to do to help maintain your vehicle's paint job during love bug season.

* Keep a good coat of wax on your vehicle. Locals who want to keep their paint job looking primo, wax every other week.

* If you hit a swarm of love bugs and cannot clean your vehicle immediately, park it OUT OF the sun. This will reduce the effect of the acid from these little flies from etching your paint.

* Wash love bugs off as soon as you can, if you hit a swarm. You'll be amazed at the carnage on your grill and bumper.

* Many locals who commute longer distances, attach a screen over the grill to keep love bugs from clogging the radiator and making the vehicle overheat.

* Some locals spread a very thin coat of non-stick baby oil over the bumper, grill, hood, and above the windshield. They say this makes it easier to clean off the love bugs.

* Use a small amount of Stoner 91156 Tarminator Tar and Bug Remover to get the residue off after washing.

As much of a pain as this season is, I'll gladly take it over stingray season.


Would you like to retire in Florida like I did?


Go to Florida Beach home from Love Bug Season page