Love Bug Question

[flafan]

I read a post earlier today, sorry but I can't find it now

Anyways, they mentioned that there were alot of love bugs, so much so they will not be going back in May again because of it.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so how bad was it?

I just book for this time next year and before I get too excited I thought I'd better check this out.

We are only going to the park a couple days and are planning on just chilling out by the pools with the kids most days.

Are love bugs the same as lady bugs?

 

[DznyLvr2005]

I read a post earlier today, sorry but I can't find it now

Anyways, they mentioned that there were alot of love bugs, so much so they will not be going back in May again because of it.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so how bad was it?

I just book for this time next year and before I get too excited I thought I'd better check this out.

We are only going to the park a couple days and are planning on just chilling out by the pools with the kids most days.

Are love bugs the same as lady bugs?

They were out in SWARMS last Sept., especially at Coronado Springs. But I don't know of May. I mean, it was so bad, I didn't want to be outside! here's some pics of the bus stop. Also they use blowing machines to blow them away every day, but they just keep coming back!

 

[mellowmood]

If I had to live with them, I'd find them annoying. But for a week or so, it really isn't a big deal for me.

The only issue I have with them is the way they leave ick on the windshield when they die. It does kinda come off with the wiper fluid, but not really. Gotta stop at the gas station and use those scrubby things to get their guts off the window.

NO reason to be scared. They just are not as big a deal as everyone makes them out to be, IMO. No way I'd plan my trip around them.

 

[lucysdad]

We were there for nine days from May 11-20 and the love bugs were everywhere. They're not the same as lady bugs, they are small black bugs with red heads and two of them fly around attached to each other oblivious to everything else around them. They are not aggressive and they don't seem to bite, they just float around and land on you if you're in their way. The pools at the Dolphin were full of them, that was the most annoying thing to us. At the parks they're a minor inconvenience. The low crowds and the good weather we had more than made up for the love bug issue. Just think of them as tiny little teenagers who need to get a room.

 

[Schucraig]

When are they out in September? We will be there from Sept. 22-30, will they be a problem?

 

[KMLOVESWDW]

We were there from May3-10 & they were just starting to come out. There were a few, nothing much to worry about. I have heard it can get bad though. We went four years ago in Sept. around the 20th. Don't really remember any, so if there were, couldn't have been that bad!

 

[DznyLvr2005]

When are they out in September? We will be there from Sept. 22-30, will they be a problem?

The last week of Sept last year. The funny thing is, the year before last, we were there the same time and we didn't see any.

 

[D&R love Disney]

They are never the exact same time. We had them 2 years in a row during labor day weekend but haven't seen them the past 2 trips during labor day, go figure!

 

[fla4fun]

I was there 9/12-9/22 last year, and I would say the last three or four days of my trip were really bad. They love the color white, so white benches were covered, and the river boat in the MK was covered in them. They also seemed to like the bus stop a lot. I didn't spend much time at the pool when they were bad, but I heard they like the pools too.

However, they don't sting or bite. So there's nothing to be afraid of. They appear approximately May and September, but can appear any time from mid-April to mid-June and mid-August to mid-October.

 

[lustergirl]

yes the love bugs are bad- would I let it stop from going to disney world?? NO WAY!!!!!!!!

 

[Speedemon21]

When are they out in September? We will be there from Sept. 22-30, will they be a problem?

My family and I stayed at Pop Century last Sept 23-30 and the love bugs were everywhere. When we first arrived and went to our room, the door was covered with them. Out of all the parks, EPCOT seemed to have the most. They do not bother people but they are a pain, IMHO. It would stop me from going back at that time again, but that's just me.

 

[julie007]

Being a FL native I am used to them. But when they swarm they are annoying. They are not lady bugs at all. They are very soft bodied.

When we were there over December a little girl asked her dad why they are called love bugs "do they kiss eachother?" It was sooo cute.

Also so funny to see people swatting at them like the are going to sting the crap out of them and running around in circles trying to get them.

 

[skipperkim]

I was there in May 05, around the middle of the month. I didn't see one lovebug. When we were there in Sept 06 there were thousands of them. They do not bite and are very fragile, rain kills them. So when it rained on our
2nd day they were pretty much gone. Avoid wearing white and you should be fine.

Now for the funny thing, being from the midwest I'd never heard of them before. Keep in mind I'd been up at 4 am EDT and I didn't get to bed until midnight. So when we got on the ME bus around 1pm I thought, "Man, don't you think they could wash the bus once and awhile?" While on the way to our resort, POFQ, the driver mentioned something about lovebug season. Now, I was looking out the windows trying to find Herbie, the lovebug. Then it dawned on me that he was talking about the bugs on the windshield. Goes to show very little sleep is possibly not the best way to start off a Disney vacation. But who really sleeps the night before departure anyway?

 

[ckdisfan]

I was there September 24 through 30 last year and the love bugs were everywhere. They aren't as bad as the palmetto bugs?? They look like huge roaches to me. There was one on the boat to MGM from the Boardwalk----everyone was screaming and someone killed it. Many of these bugs out at night near the water especially. They're just creepy and FAST!!!!!

 

[rlduvall]

I was at Disney last year from 9/19 to 9/26 and it was like an Old Testament plague. I know they don't sting or anything, but they are a big pain. You can't really lay out at the pool. They kind of take the relaxation right out of the equation. And, one day at MGM, they were so thick it looked like a swarm of gnats and I ended up having to keep my mouth shut for hours so they couldn't fly in. Something I wasn't too thrilled about.

That being said, I would still go at the same time if I had to. Just wish they would thin out a little.

 

[DisneyLovingRN]

I'm not a lovebug expert, but I will say this.
We were there Sept 12-21 2006 - Love bugs were BAD. No, they didn't hurt me - yes, they did annoy me. I found them the worst at the Resort and at the Waterparks. I loved the low-crowds in Sept, so would they keep me from going back? Heck no!

Now, we were just there May 16-20 2007. There were lovebugs, but NO WHERE NEAR as bad as what we had seen in September.

I am not one to love any kind of bug really (except ladybugs and butterflies), but you kinda just get used to them I guess.

Just my two cents If they keep people away from WDW, lower lines for me! Haha. In that case, maybe I should change my story about them (Just kidding)

 

[NewCrew42]

We were just there May 12-20. Yes, there were love bugs. They are harmless but a tad annoying. You do have to occasionally swat them away from you.

My best friend and her family were there last Sept. and mentioned they were plague like. Sort of like the photo posted earlier in this thread. They were NOTHING like that while we were there.

 

[auntie]

I was there September 24 through 30 last year and the love bugs were everywhere. They aren't as bad as the palmetto bugs?? They look like huge roaches to me. There was one on the boat to MGM from the Boardwalk----everyone was screaming and someone killed it. Many of these bugs out at night near the water especially. They're just creepy and FAST!!!!!

You should have been on the monorail with us when one of those Palmettos bugs(BIG HUGE ROACH! ) entered. We were sitting in the last car..and saw it opposite us on the wall..speeding over the bench to the other side of the car. They walk along the window edging. The SCREAMS...were something you might hear on Space Mountain. Children were crying...ladies were screaming and the men looked as if they were all doing the Mexican Hat Dance. Stomping..."I've got it..no I didn't..you got it?"..."No...it's still cruisin'!" STOMP! STOMP!...SCREAM ...SCREAM! "Don't worry honey..it's from the Timon and Pumba attraction!".
This thing was as big as bird. Never saw anything like it..I tell you, I have NO desire to ride the monorail anytime soon.

 

[flafan]

Thank you everyone for all your responses. I think I will take a chance on the week of Labor Day. This time of year really works for us. My daughter (6th grade) will only have to miss 3 days and so I think we can handle some bugs .

I will not tell the fam about the bugs and have them worrying for nothing (hopefully). I am the obsessive one in the bunch, Now that I have reservations I can really chit chat on the boards.

More comments welcome, especially from anyone who just got back.

 

[sunee]

I've been during love bug season several times, most recently this May 17 -23. They aren't a problem for me. If they land on me or are near my face, I shoe them away.

Not really an issue.

"Palmetto Bug" is what Floridians call giant roaches. I wouldn't be happy with a bunch of those but have never had that problem.