trulytex

I have recently purchased my first Corvette (1990 Vert) and the Lovebugs have just swarmed South Florida. What is the best way to protect the front of my car from these paint stripping vermin? Do you suggest the front-end bras? If so, which brand and which style? So far I have been using the "drive my truck everywhere and leave the Vette in the Barn" protection method (which is probably best).

goldeneye_vet

Beings that I just got done with removing my bumpers on my 85 myself for a repaint and finished the reinstall this evening I emplore you to re-think your idea of using a bra on the front of your vette. Bras are horrible for the paint and 3 cars in the last 10 years should have taught me that very same lesson. The sand, dirt, and dust gets trapped and vibrates and moves around under that cover and scratches the h$ll out of your paint. I too live in a state that has a problem with bugs every single day of the summer and although its an ugly looking mess on the front of your car a bra is not the solution. Save that money you were going to use on the bra and use it for some car washes maybe?

skateparkdave

We have f%#K bugs in east Texas, nasty lil' goverment flub they are. I hate them. Man those things stink. They haven't swarmed here yet this spring (knock on wood).

I've heard people around here talk of spraying "PAM" on the front of a vehicle before luv bug season then washing the bugs and pam off with soap and water after the swarm.

I've personally never tried this with the pam. I dont even think of pulling the Vette out during the swarms. It's not my DD so I dont have to. I just couldn't imagine plastering my sweet white baby with those stinky black suckers. It would be like painting the front black with stinky dead bug bodies.

If your vette is your daily driver then I feel for you in this situation. You may want to think about screening your radiator or at least make sure you wash it out after the swarm subsides.

Remember, I haven't tried the pam thing but it sounds like it could help. If I tried it I would try it on a small section first to test it.

REDC4CORVETTE

I would try some Zimol Wax ,I know I did not spell it right .It is blue and I know NAPA and Ace Hardware carries it.About $20.00 a bottle.It makes the clear coat real slick.
I would vote for WD 40 and A match.
Just don't go to the area where the lake is, they love those trees out their.
I do know they love Icream,soda pop and anything with sugar.
I hate it when I water ski in Orlando and they fly up my nose.
Can't wait for roach season .
Make sure you wash your car atleast once a week.Bug and tar remover works well for the tough places.
What is the last thing that goes through a bugs mind when he hits your windshield. HIS ***!!!

Fuzzy Dice

I feel your pain...I use a nose bra but only for trips, then I take it off immediately...I use my truck mostly during love bug season...

Aquaman92

I just wash them off daily

runner140*

Yesterday driving home from work, I stopped at a light and they were all over the car. I guess its that time of the year.

RRT vette

Dave, someone told me also that Pam would prevent bugs from sticking. So I tried it and what a damn mess. Not only did the bugs stick but it took me about an hour to scrub that greasy crap off my bumper. NOT A GOOD IDEA. The bra is another . As described above it will scratch the bumper. Now if you wash your car regularly
(once a week) and take the bra off and clean it and the bumper then all you will have to worry about is the sun fading the rest of the paint and not the bumper paint. I live in Louisiana and the love bugs here get thick. So thick that you shouldn't leave your mouth open. I would just wax the car regularly and was regularly as well. IMO

Jet-Jock

Yeah I just keep a fresh coat of Zaino polish on the nose so it's really slick. If I pickup any love bugs when I get home I usually just hit it with the hose and they wash off.

This time of the season I also tend to tuck in behind vehicle that take the brunt of them, on trips in heavy invested road areas.

flyinlow90

While I have no experience with those bugs I would think alot of wax would be best.
Gary

skateparkdave

Well then, I guess that myth is busted. I wondered about the grease but it seemed like it would stop the sticking and wash off easier with soap and water than the dried bugs. Oh well, sounded good in theory. I knew I had never tried it for some reason. Glad I didn't. Thanks

Jet-Jock

Oh no no no, when I lived over in Palm Bay and commuted to Vero Beach, I had a new mustang at the time. I had the bright idea to smear vasoline on the bumper to keep them from sticky. OMG, what a mess it made, goes in the bad idea drawer. Every spec of dirt, little rocks, trash you name it stuck to the bumper.

Demonic85

I've found Bug and Tar remover works very well. I've never hit a bug that damaged the paint. What's a love bug?

Randy93

Buy a frontend mask and take it off after there gone. Problem solved!!

ccs96

You don't want to ever find out first hand!

Good wax job, then when you get the bugs, Speed Shine at the end of the day. seems to work and no mess. But if you have lots of bugs, wash first, then speed shine.

Jet-Jock

Love bugs are pretty much described by their name. They are small little winged black bugs. They feed on mosquito larve and are attracted to the roadways from the scent of the formaldehyde coming from vehicle exhaust. They mistake it for the formaldehyde that comes from rotting marsh where mosquito lives and breed.

They are called love bugs because the spend the majority of the adult life which is only a few hours mating so they are usually in two's connected together.

The guts of the love bug are very acid and eat away at the finish of your vehicle if not washed off soon after smacking them. And they are in huge packs around the roads so they literally cover the windshield and are a mess when you turn on the wipers and washer to clean them off.

CREWZIN

I try not to take the Vette out, if I do, it's early in the morning or late in the afternoon...that seems to be good times when the damn LB's aren't too active. I use the PT Crusier or the wife's car most of the time. I picked up a big green spray bottle of BUG Wash & Wax made by Purple Power. Spray it on, wait a few minutes and hose off. It's made for Love Bugs. Forgot where I got it but either Auto Zone or Discount Auto (they are the only two auto stores around.

Torch Red GS

trulytex

What is a Lovebug? You have no idea how lucky you are to be able to say that!

Since I started this thread last night, I researched these little bast**** on the internet last night and learned quite a bit. Several of the articles stated that if you don't wash off the bug guts within 24 hrs, they will start to pit the paint! They are most active between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm and last about 4 weeks.

No, my Vette is just a toy, not my daily driver. I am a rancher and my Vette doesn't come in very handy on the ranch. I drive a Chevy crew cab four wheel drive on a daily basis. But I do like to drive the Vette whenever I have a chance, but not through the lovebugs. I keep a good coat of wax on the car, but I was curious about other's experiences with the bra. But I believe that I have been talked out of that purchase. Thanks for the heads up!

Oh, the Pam deal started in the late 1970's and my dad put it on the front of a brand new Lincoln. It had to be repainted the next year! If you put Pam on the front of your Corvette, make sure that it's the kind in a BIKINI!

PierEagle

Wash those suckers off every evening or early morning if possible. They will pit or discolor your paint. Those things are terrible. If you stand on the street for ten minutes, during the season, you will be covered with them. It's a case of science gone bad. It's my understanding they were imported to Florida and the south years and years ago, to control the mosquito larva. The thought was they then would be eaten by birds, keeping nature in balance. Problem is they are bitter so the birds won't eat them. Only predators they have are cars, buses and trucks, and the hand that swats them.