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Cursed luv bugs!!

Tourmeister

Keeper of the Asylum
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Location
Huntsville
First Name
Scott
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Friday
Howdy,

Beth and I knocked out about 150 miles this afternoon on her bike. We ran out by Lake Livingston and Wolf Creek State park. The love bugs were unbelievable. It was so bad I could not keep my visor clean enough to see. They would hit, smash, sliiiiddddddeeee, and then wisk away on the wind leaving behind lots of goo to catch the next few. The front of the bike was disgusting. The smell of cooking love bugs on the motor even more digusting :puke: When we stopped, the smell of the dead bugs would bring the live ones running from all directions. After a short break, the front of the bike was coated in both dead and live bugs. I would have taken pictures, but I could not wait that long to get the hose out and wash the bike after getting home. I'm not even going to bother trying to describe the mess on my mesh jacket :brainsnap I finally got my helmet relatively clean, but the little buggers have almost clogged the vent just above the visor. Getting that out may be a serious challenge. It really sucks that today was some of the absolute best riding weather we have had all year and yet the bugs have to be out :evil: Oh well, I guess it beats sitting inside while it rains outside :roll:

Adios,
 
Luv bugs!

We rode today too and the bugs were terrible. Thank goodness for the windshield. It took about 30 minutes and lots of soaking to get them off! Anybody know when they leave? It was a beautiful day to ride.

Anne
 
:tab How has it been going for you Anne? Are you getting more comfortable on the bike? Feel like you know where the controls are without having to think about it every time? ;-) I remember when I first started riding. I would be going down the road and suddenly it would occur to me, "Hey! I'm actually riding a motorcycle... WooHoo!!" Actually, sometimes I still do that, hehe.

Adios,
 
Fortunately, the love bug (plecia nearctica) swarms don't last longer then four weeks.

Our good friends at A&M advise covering vehicle radiators with nylon netting to make removal easier and avoid engine over-heating.

http://insect.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-009.html

Other strategies:

- They don't fly at night.

- They thrive in areas rich with organic matter (woodlands, pastures).

- They are attracted to the chemical reaction of vehicle exhaust and sunlight.

Guess we'll just have to ride out towards west Texas at night where they have rocky soil and less traffic! :)
 
Also, they WILL eat paint!

I thought those signs in front of car washes stating "Love Bugs Eat Paint"! were just scare tactics.

Apparently it's true. The bugs are slightly acidic and should be washed off painted surfaces as soon as possible.

I've got work to do this evening!
 
Hey Scott, things are going better even though it has been about 3 weeks since I was able to ride between rain and other obligations (Aggie football for one). The controls are comfortable and no problem. No more wanting to put my feet straight down instead of forward. My starts when pulling out in traffic still make me nervous, not as smooth as I would like, but I think that will come with practice and practice and practice. :) Need to work on the friction zone thing (I tend to kill it a lot, either not enough or too much gas). Riding the highway is a lot more comfortable than the 1st 100 miles.
Thanks for asking, it was a good ride (except for the luv bugs).
Anne
 
Thanks John,
I have never ridden at night and am new enough that I don't think that is on my "soon to be done" list and I live out in the middle of nowhere meaning lots of pasture. So I guess I will just be cleaning lots of lovebugs for the next few weeks! :roll: Oh well, the price you pay for FUN.
Anne
 
Split, split, splat, little love bug showers. I recently did some research on these obscene creatures, most of it from the University in Florida. I was well aware that they eat paint very quickly. I'm hoping they don't damage leather as it is a very time consuming task cleaning them off my jacket. Not certain what predators they had from whence they migrated, but I wish I could bring a few of them on up. Some big evil centipedes or some such. ANYTHING but another flying insect.
 
Just think about how bad they must have been before high speed mechanized transportation came around. :?
We must kill billions of em' every day with all the vehicles on the road.
I doubt a horse or stage coach did much damage so they probably blacked out the sky back then. :shock:
 
They migrated from Central America, entering the lower US in the late 1930's. I presume they've migrated away from most of their natural predators. They have no predators as adult flies, but are preyed upon by centipedes, earwigs, and a couple beetles in their larval stage.
 
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