They're Back! RE: LoveBugs!

[suzybeezy]

Any bug updates?

 

[safetymom]

Nothing at my house yet.

 

[WDSearcher]

I just finished mowing my yard. I was not thrilled to see about six sets of lovebugs. True, there were only a few, but the others can't be far behind.

They seem to be a bit early this year. Perhaps, it is because we've had some very warm weather already this year. It is supposed to be much cooler next week, so that could delay them a bit.

For those of you planning to visit Orlando in the next few weeks, be prepared for our little friends.

So YOU'RE the one inciting all this love bug hysteria!

To the people who are worrying about lovebugs and trying to work your plans around lovebugs and planning on rescheduling trips because of lovebugs ... don't. Lovebugs are harmless, if annoying, little bugs that will do nothing more than make the grille on your rental car look as though you drove through a paintball course. No worse than gnats, mosquitos or any other bug you might encounter down at WDW.

I live up near Ocoee, and haven't seen a single lovebug yet this season. Stop the lovebug insanity!

 

[ckotcamp]

Hah, I sure hope you're right, I don't care much but it would be nice not having to deal with them

 

[disprincessatheart]

So YOU'RE the one inciting all this love bug hysteria!

To the people who are worrying about lovebugs and trying to work your plans around lovebugs and planning on rescheduling trips because of lovebugs ... don't. Lovebugs are harmless, if annoying, little bugs that will do nothing more than make the grille on your rental car look as though you drove through a paintball course. No worse than gnats, mosquitos or any other bug you might encounter down at WDW.

I live up near Ocoee, and haven't seen a single lovebug yet this season. Stop the lovebug insanity!

I'm hoping they stay away another week or two - not becuase I'm scared of them, but I'd really rather not have them in my wedding photos!

 

[TIGGERGUY]

I think I still have a bit of them left on the front of my car from last year.

 

[Karnak]

Dadgumed things have no shame.

 

[Disney0010]

I think I still have a bit of them left on the front of my car from last year.

That's the only negative about them. They can destroy a cars paint job if left to bake in the hot Florida sun. Other than that, they are not that bad.

 

[jjms97]

Hoping that since they are out early that they'll do their business and be gone early, too!

We encountered them for the first time last year. Wasn't that bad really. They seemed to be more prevalent near the buses. Not really a problem at the parks.

Fingers crossed that by early June they'll be gone!

 

[DisFanEY]

We also have a trip planned for Mid-May. For anyone who has been to WDW during that time, I had a few questions... seriously, how many of these bugs will we see? Will a whole swarm of them end up on my stroller (or Kids for that matter?!) Anyone have any pictures of them in the parks?

My DH has been to Fl plenty in late August/September, and I knew about the lovebugs then, but must admit I had no idea they were out in May as well. I know people say not to freak out about them (and I won't) but just how many bugs are we talking about navigating through in the parks and at the pools?

Thank you, thank you to anyone who has more info for me!!!

 

[Disney0010]

I think that a lot of people are overreacting to this. They are not flying around in swarms. They are not going to bite you. People need to relax. Again they do more damage to your cars paint job than anything else. They do not bite or sting. Just relax and plan to enjoy your visit to Disney.

 

[ckotcamp]

I think I still have a bit of them left on the front of my car from last year.

Might want to get them washed off there bud. Their bodies are slightly acidic and known to eat through paint on cars. It's recommended that you wash them off no later than an hour after they splat on. Might not show now but could turn up in a few months after some rain. You might have a speckled car, and that wouldn't be good.

 

[WDSearcher]

We also have a trip planned for Mid-May. For anyone who has been to WDW during that time, I had a few questions... seriously, how many of these bugs will we see? Will a whole swarm of them end up on my stroller (or Kids for that matter?!) Anyone have any pictures of them in the parks?

My DH has been to Fl plenty in late August/September, and I knew about the lovebugs then, but must admit I had no idea they were out in May as well. I know people say not to freak out about them (and I won't) but just how many bugs are we talking about navigating through in the parks and at the pools?

Thank you, thank you to anyone who has more info for me!!!

Enough with the lovebug mania! Seriously. They're honestly not that big of a deal. If they were, don't you all think that there'd be stories about them and warnings and repellents and things? The mere fact that the marketing machines of the world have not developed a selection of products to deal with lovebugs should indicate that they're not something that people need to spend this much time worrying about.

Lovebugs are not capable of biting or stinging, so you don't have to worry about that. Larger numbers generally hang out near garbage and debris (because that's where the females lay their eggs) and near highways (which is why so many of them will splat on your windshield). You may encounter groups of them in the parking lots, but within the parks they are no more prevalent than gnats, flies, mosquitos, and other crawly things. A whole swarm of them will not end up on your stroller or on your kids. (Although it's entirely possible that you will run into swarms of gnats at dusk.) And you will have more problems navigating through strollers in the parks and at the pools than you will navigating through lovebugs.

The only folks who even need to be concerned are those driving personal or rental cars. Becuase the "insides" of love bugs are abnormally acidic, leaving them on the windshield too long will make them hard to remove. You might want to toss some windshield cleaner and a roll of paper towels in the car just to keep the windshield from looking like a little bug battleground!

 

[Lorelai]

So...what is a Golden Raintree bug (I think the post was on page 1)?

 

[MARY-IN-OH]

Was just wondering if the lovebugs are "back". My DD won't like them, so I'm just not going to say anything to her just yet. My DH and I dealt with them the end of Sept last year. The parks were not bad, but the white lounge chairs by the pool were covered with them at times!!

The bugs are not scary, as everyone says they don't sting or anything, they remind me of "lightening bugs" except love bugs are smaller (I think the two "connected" love bugs are even smaller than one lightening bug!).

It's just the quantity that is a little overwhelming. Oh our next trip we arrive on 5/3, so I'll be watchin the boards to see if they get bad!
-mary

 

[spicemom]

Enough with the lovebug mania! Seriously. They're honestly not that big of a deal. If they were, don't you all think that there'd be stories about them and warnings and repellents and things? The mere fact that the marketing machines of the world have not developed a selection of products to deal with lovebugs should indicate that they're not something that people need to spend this much time worrying about.

Lovebugs are not capable of biting or stinging, so you don't have to worry about that. Larger numbers generally hang out near garbage and debris (because that's where the females lay their eggs) and near highways (which is why so many of them will splat on your windshield). You may encounter groups of them in the parking lots, but within the parks they are no more prevalent than gnats, flies, mosquitos, and other crawly things. A whole swarm of them will not end up on your stroller or on your kids. (Although it's entirely possible that you will run into swarms of gnats at dusk.) And you will have more problems navigating through strollers in the parks and at the pools than you will navigating through lovebugs.

The only folks who even need to be concerned are those driving personal or rental cars. Becuase the "insides" of love bugs are abnormally acidic, leaving them on the windshield too long will make them hard to remove. You might want to toss some windshield cleaner and a roll of paper towels in the car just to keep the windshield from looking like a little bug battleground!

Thank You!! You answered my questions. Going Mid may.

 

[vacationwoman]

While love bugs don't bite and are simply annoying to most people to those with a real phobia of bugs they are terrifying especially if it's a year when they are out in full force.

People without this "phobia" don't understand the anguish or hysteria of the those who have it. (this is true with all phobia's ) I have a true bug phobia especially with flying ones.

I had never heard of love bugs until two years ago when we went for the first time in September to WDW and there was an extremely heavy infestation of them in the WDW area. They literally ruined my two week vacation. (so much so that we left 4 days early). We were at POR and the door to our room would be blanketed in them, my DH had to get a paper to sweep them off before I could enter without being followed by hundreds of them. The bus stops all over were swarming with them, you would have them all over you while waiting for a bus. This was the only year I kept hopping in taxi's to travel because I couldn't stand having them all over me. We couldn't even use the pool because they were all over the chairs making it impossible to sit down because if you did then they were all over you. In the parks it wasn't quite so bad but many areas had swarms of them. Bench's everywhere were covered with them. I spent most of the time we were there in my room too scared to go out. (again you have to be able to understand the workings of a true phobia which most people who don't have one can't understand).

Last year we went the last week of May and first week of June thinking to miss them but they were there. They were not nearly as bad as the previous September but still put a damper on my trip and again we left early.

 

[megveg]

does bug repellant keep them away?

 

[MARY-IN-OH]

does bug repellant keep them away?

No. I did notice that at POFQ they came by and vacuumed them every day around the outside of the resorts (doors, etc). That seemed to help.

 

[vacationwoman]

does bug repellant keep them away?

There is no repellent for them (not even Avon's skin so soft and it's good for everything).
They supposedly like the fumes from car exhausts which would explain why they are so bad at the bus stops and on the highways.
I have been in Florida when the State Highway Patrol issued a traffic alert for some area roads occasionally because the swarms were so bad you could barely see.