Beware Love Bugs were everywhere!

[Tabetha]

I'm at the World right now and they are NOT THAT BAD. We're staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge and we've been to all the parks. The only time I really noticed them was today at the Animal Kingdom where they seemed to be attracted to a bright orange wall, and Sunday in the Epcot parking lot. Other than that, really not a big deal.

 

[mantaz]

We leave on Saturday and I am so hoping the love bugs are gone or at least almost gone! Can y'all keep me updated so I know what to expect on my drive? I have to drive the part from Valdosta, GA to WDW and I hate to see that many spots on my windshield!

Thank you
Angela

 

[jwfla422]

I'm at the World right now and they are NOT THAT BAD. We're staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge and we've been to all the parks. The only time I really noticed them was today at the Animal Kingdom where they seemed to be attracted to a bright orange wall, and Sunday in the Epcot parking lot. Other than that, really not a big deal.

I agree, I really think it depends where you are. We just got back and yes I had to do the carwash thing after we got there and today when we got back but that's not unusual for this time of the year. (it was raining lovebugs around Yeehaw Jct)

We stayed at the Swan and went to MK, EPCOT, MGM and even Seaworld and we really had no problems with them. Definitely didn't see them swarming like shown in the photos earlier on this thread. We did see them here and there but never had problems with them in our hair or covering benches or anything like that. I guess they really liked CSR??

 

[jwfla422]

We leave on Saturday and I am so hoping the love bugs are gone or at least almost gone! Can y'all keep me updated so I know what to expect on my drive? I have to drive the part from Valdosta, GA to WDW and I hate to see that many spots on my windshield!

Thank you
Angela

Go pick up some Rain-X tar and bug spray. I used this on the front of my car prior to leaving last Friday. Although I had tons on my bumper when we go there and I did run it through a carwash there were still black marks on it after the wash that stayed on there until today. When I got home I washed it and sprayed it down and really had no problem getting them off (don't think the gas station car wash got to the bumper but it did wash my window). I also use Rain-X on my windshield. I had the most problem with them actually SOUTH of WDW closer to Yeehaw Jct which is about an hour south of WDW.

 

[catsrule]

If you can survive the cicadas, the love bugs are a piece of cake.

 

[Bay in TN]

We just left WDW this morning (Wednesday, October 4th), and the lovebugs were *much* better this week than last week, in our experience. One day last week -- perhaps Friday or Saturday, Sept. 30th, we were at the Beach Club. Hubby and son were in Stormalong Bay, and I was sitting at a table in the shade. Around 1:30 in the afternoon, the lovebugs woke up and rose in a massive cloud together to go out in search of ... whatever. Every day after that, I saw fewer and fewer lovebugs.

I honestly think the horde is dwindling.

--Bay

 

[Spartan]

While waiting at a bus stop last week, they were flying around and people were wondering what the heck they were. I thought to myself, how could you possibly not know what these things are, there have been tons of threads about them on the Dis...then I remembered not everyone I encounter reads these boards

 

[MyGoofy26]

The worst we saw was Saturday at AK, and even that wasn't as bad as they were when I did my CP (from the talk, I was expecting worse than that year) In the last few days, I only had to swat a couple away all day.

 

[KimWDW]

If you can survive the cicadas, the love bugs are a piece of cake.

What time of year do the cicadas come?

I'm avoiding all bug times. Ick.

 

[MyGoofy26]

What time of year do the cicadas come?

I'm avoiding all bug times. Ick.

Cicadas are like locusts - about every 7 years.

 

[curiouser]

I'm glad to hear that the lovebugs are dying down. Although we get Canadian Soldiers in June and they are usually pretty bad. They live for a month, lay eggs and die. If you go to Cedar Point in early-mid June you are pretty much guaranteed to have a few squished Canadian Soldiers on your shirt by the end of the day. And don't even THINK about screaming- they hang out in swarms that you tend to fly through when you're on a coaster.

 

[aviva5675]

If anyone can clarify, from one picture I saw it seems that "love bugs" are actually box elder bugs? I dont know about all over the country, but we have them here in Illinois too. They are around now, as every fall, and are completely harmless and mild. Does anyone else call them love bugs, or is that a Florida term?

 

[TLHB70]

I lived in Louisiana from birth until 2002 (32 years), and that is the term used for the bugs there. They were always out in May and September. You could count on it like clockwork.

 

[kimmikayb]

If anyone can clarify, from one picture I saw it seems that "love bugs" are actually box elder bugs? I dont know about all over the country, but we have them here in Illinois too. They are around now, as every fall, and are completely harmless and mild. Does anyone else call them love bugs, or is that a Florida term?

I'm from Iowa and I just got home from WDW. I said the same thing...these love bugs are only box elder bugs which we deal with every fall. However, I've never seen our box elder bugs attached to each other like the love bugs.

While there I did see a decrease during our stay. They didn't bite but they did swarm and it was uncomfortable when you were standing in a hot line to have these bugs fly into your face, hair, clothes, etc. Plus, it seems like they are in ALL of our pictures. Only real problem I had with them is they came into our room and I would find them in our bed. Yuck.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

If you can survive the cicadas, the love bugs are a piece of cake.

cicadas are just noisy. lovebugs get on everything. i drive a semi and i've seen lovebugs so thick in texas that highway patrol shut down I20 for hrs due to all of the accidents in 1999. i used 4 gallons(yes gallons of wiper fluid in a 30 mile streach. i wish i still had the photo of my red truck covered with lovebugs.took a truck was 45 mins and 2 tries to get them of both truck and trailor. try don't bite. they just mate in mass numbers

 

[lovethattink]

I posted about how bad the lovebugs were last week. Went to Epcot today for lunch and I only saw 5 of them. They are definately going away. Only had a couple on the windshield too!