May 12, 2020
By: Staff Report
With Governor DeSantis announcing Phase 1 of the reopening of Florida, and businesses opening back up, people aren’t the only ones that got the memo.
Lovebugs, and lots of them not at all practicing social distancing.
Cars, homes, and even people are being swarmed by these lovely creatures that make their appearance twice a year here in the sunshine state. The Tampa Bay area is no exception, and these little bugs are playing chicken with every vehicle on every road or freeway, in the region.
“I thought it was raining as we hit a pocket of these bugs on I-4,” said Tampa resident Bill Lokey, “These things just stick to your windshield.”
And do they ever.
We decided to put together a helpful list of tips and techniques to safely remove these vexatious flying mates from your vehicle:
Baby Oil – Spread a light film of baby oil over the front of the hood, above the windshield and on the grill and bumper. This practice will make their removal a simpler task.
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo – Mix warm water with the shampoo and some elbow grease.
Degreaser – A little degreaser on the windshield and bumper, let that set for a minute or two and the love bugs should wipe clean.
Cooking Spray – Who’d a thunk?! Use the cooking spray on the nose and mirrors of your car at the first sign of love bugs.
Baking Soda – Good ole Arm & Hammer has yet another use. Mix with warm water and watch the bugs melt away.
Lamp Oil – Add 1/2 cup of lamp oil to your bucket of wash water and it removes them with ease without leaving streaks on the windshield.
Dish Soap – Water, soap and elbow grease will work. Some folks also claim that a mixture of glass cleaner and dish soap works too.
Dryer Sheets – Great things have been said about the power of the dryer sheet. Spray down your car, then get to wiping with some used dryer sheets.
Avon Skin-So-Soft – Wipe a very light coat of it on your car’s hood and bumper and cleaning bugs off of those two places afterwards is a breeze.