any lovebugs seen yet?

[pluto fan]

Ok it is now September and we leave in a week, my only worry is the love bugs. Anybody just back seen any? I hope by the time we get there they will not be in full force. Any sightenings will be helpful.

[WebmasterBob]

Hi Pluto Fan, As I sit here typing I am looking at a bunch of the Love bugs sitting on the window. Yes it is full Love bug season down here and it is just getting started and will be here for the rest of the month. Sorry to bring bad news. Just remember when going out, they are attracted to the color white. So plan accordingly when bringing clothes to wear.

[Laurajean1014]

Thanks for the color white advice! Does bug spay prohibit them as well? Or anything else for that matter? Traveling through in mid September and would love for them to be gone......

[WebmasterBob]

If you find something that does repell them send it to the State of Florida so they can get rid of them. No known solution to repell them other than swatting at them. Sorry

[swinginevilmike]

I just saw the first batch today at the Studios...:(

[Barbruka]

Does anyone know when they start to head out? We arrive on the 22nd of this month. Not looking forward to the pesky bugs!

[beaker]

They have not shown themself in Mobile yet. But the real problem with them is your car they can mess up your paint. If you are driving have your car washed ASAP. Other wise they do not bite and are just annoying.

[KnightsQwn]

They are attracted to White?
I should let the thread running about daily clothing planning know....
Thanks for the info.

[GaigesMom]

I'm from Las Vegas, Nv. and generally we deal with scorpions and recluse spiders out here, so forgive me...WHAT THE HECK IS A LOVEBUG???

[skeezixspud]

... that mates while flying around; thus the love-bug nickname. They swarm for mating a couple of times per year across the South, in the spring and fall.

They are totally harmless to humans, and even kind of cute in a tickly way, but the chemicals that come from their little splattered bodies do unpleasant things to automobile paint. As they are also attracted to automobile exhaust fumes, they spend a lot of time hovering low over highways. Anyone planning to drive cross-country in the South during love-bug mating season should take protective measures, such as coating your vehicle with unbuffed paste-wax, applied rather thickly (this forms a barrier between the bugs and the paint), or putting a 'bra' on the vehicle to shield the front end (which still requires frequent washing.)

Oh, one other note: the exhaust-fume thing also explains why they are more numerous at WDW bus-stops; if you wait on the grass a little distance away from the shelter, you won't have as many lighting on you.