Love Bugs are in the Air and Can Damage Cars’ Paint

Love bugs, kissing bugs, honeymoon flies, double-headed bug, or whatever you call them, they’re back, and they can ruin a car’s paint job. The love bugs have two distinct flights, one in late spring and the other in late summer.

These flights can have bugs numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and with Cruisin’ the Coast right around the corner, car owners want to avoid permanent damage to their cars. The insects, which after maturity spend their entire lives mating, have an acidic body composition that can eat away at the clear coat and paint of even the most well cared for car. Local auto detailers advise owners to have them removed as soon as possible to avoid damage.

Ted Miller, the owner of Performance Paint and Body in Gulfport, says, "It’ll leave like a spotty look to the paint, and it actually does eat through the paint’s finish. If left on too long, the only solution is to repaint and that normally costs about $400 per panel. It does depend on the size of the panel and there are several variations in price."

Miller recommends regular washings during mating season and using a good wax to help minimize the bug’s effects.