SEBASTIAN – Love bugs are everywhere in Sebastian, sticking to vehicles and clothing. We’ve also seen them at the beach. So far, this has been one of the worst seasons we’ve seen for love bugs.

Love bugs come out for a short time in the month of May and September. We have a few tips on how to handle them.

If you have love bugs on the front of your car, you need to act fast! Wash your car immediately because they are acidic and will begin to destroy your paint. For the bugs that are hard to remove, apply some soap or a light layer of baby oil to loosen them.

It’s important to keep them off the radiator, especially on the grill part of your vehicle. Your radiator needs to breathe to cool your engine. Make sure to keep the bugs clear.

Our local auto stores, such as O’Reilly Auto Parts, has some bug removers that will not harm car paint or strip wax. Turtle Wax Bug & Tar Remover costs less than $5 and will remove bug residue and tree sap. You can also use $9 bug splatter sponges that come five to a box and $5 bug screens that attach to the front of the car to prevent bugs from clogging radiators. The bug screens are great for those traveling or in an RV.

Love bugs do play a vital part in their ecosystems. They are a lot like maggots. The female plants her eggs in moist soil, and when hatched, the larvae consume the detritus that surrounds them. They only live long enough to eat nectar, copulate, lay eggs and die.

Love bugs were not seen in North America until 1940. In fact, the bugs weren’t in Florida 50 years ago. The scientific name for Love Bugs is “Plecia Nearctica.”

In a week or two, they will be gone until September.

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