Insect collection

[460Fred]

What an epic drive yesterday. Bakersfield thru Ojai, down to Ventura, back up the coast to Pismo (what a zoo so we didn’t stay), then 58 back home. About 400 miles +/-.
What pre spray do you guys use for dried on bugs? I usually just use a hot wet towel for rehydration of bugs before washing a motorcycle but this is more intricate.

Sponsored

 

[18usc371]

Down here in South Florida we have a love bug season. And if you know anything about that, it is intense for vehicle front ends!

While I would never do this for my GT 350, especially because @Tomster would get pissed off, I use a trick of a wet dryer sheet - Bounce - on a hosed down (wet) vehicle. Then rinse again. I was skeptical, but it works better than any other method I’ve tried.

I have used it on my work Tahoe for years, with no ill affect. It’s a bug catcher! I’ve seen no harm to the chrome, paint, etc.

Again I wouldn’t do it to my GT 350, but . .

One 20 mile (multiply that by 20 for 400mi!!) stretch of I-75:

 

[Tomster]

Down here in South Florida we have a love bug season. And if you know anything about that, it is intense for vehicle front ends!

While I would never do this for my GT 350, especially because @Tomster would get pissed off, I use a trick of a wet dryer sheet - Bounce - on a hosed down (wet) vehicle. Then rinse again. I was skeptical, but it works better than any other method I’ve tried.

I have used it on my work Tahoe for years, with no ill affect. It’s a bug catcher! I’ve seen no harm to the chrome, paint, etc.

Again I wouldn’t do it to my GT 350, but . .

Oh come on..... She's your baby. I was just bustin your chops over Dr. Color chip. I wonder if the new owner of HR 361 will track me down. Probably not because I included the owners kit with the car and if they come across these posts, they probably wont want to have to listen to me.

 

[18usc371]

Oh come on..... She's your baby. I was just bustin your chops over Dr. Color chip. I wonder if the new owner of HR 361 will track me down. Probably not because I included the owners kit with the car and if they come across these posts, they probably wont want to have to listen to me.

So you’re saying you approve of me using a Shamwow towel? (RIP Vince Offer - the OG pitchman!)

***Correction Billy Mays***

 

[Tomster]

So you’re saying you approve of me using a Shamwow towel? (RIP Vince Offer - the OG pitchman!$

I have to draw the line somewhere, LOL

 

[DCShelby]

Turtle Wax bug and tar remover does pretty well. I carry some in my car all the time.

 

[Voodoo Velocity]

There are a lot of 'bug juice' type products on the market. But I think the challenge is removing from grilles versus painted panels. You can always clay bar a painted panel for what will not wash off, but not so much for grilles and complex surfaces. The key for both surfaces is to hydrate the bug mess before attempting to wipe them off.

I have used Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover Foam with great success. Spray on the foam, it hydrates and begins to decompose the bugs without damaging car finishes.


If you want to try a simple home remedy, spay the grille with hydrogen peroxide and it will hydrate the died bugs and break down the proteins (it will foam the dried bugs). It will not harm the paint, but it will strip wax. Let it sit 2 minutes and keep misting so it does not dry. Cheap and easy.

I think preventive measures to make bug removal easier. Keeping car surface coated to make it easier to remove the bugs. Even though I have ceramic coating, I always use a detail spray after washing to keep the paint coated and slick. Regular waxing helps too. Most everything comes off with a simple wash and no rubbing needed.

 

[Threebanger]

Try a fabric softener sheet. Just soak it and gently rub. It eats the bug enzymes and you don't have to scrub at all.

 

[JAJ]

I clean mine with a spray of hydrogen peroxide and a damp microfiber towel. Quick and easy. You can use the premade cleaners like Lysol or just put a pint bottle of 3% H2O2 (from the drug store) into a quart spray bottle and top up with water. I prefer the latter because it doesn't have any perfume or other detergents in it, but I've used both and they work pretty well. Like the dryer sheet method, H2O2 attacks the chemistry of the bugs and "eats" them so they just wipe off. H2O2 itself is a water molecule with an extra oxygen atom and when it comes into contact with biologics, like bug guts, it breaks down into water and oxygen, so it's harmless to paint and other non-biologics.

 

[Voodoo Velocity]

Just a side note. If you have a lot of bugs on the nose of the car, check your air filter. You may need a shovel or vacuum to get all those corpses from the air cleaner!

 

[galaxy]

I left northern CA due to the bugs. OK, maybe not the only reason, but I lived in the Sacramento valley for several years and always thought the bugs around those rice fields and other agriculture could be horrendous. It. Drove. Me. Insane.

Moved to the Midwest about 10 years ago, and the bugs on the front of a car here are 1/100th of the bugs from CA. Love it. Our bugs here know how to stay in the tree line like they’re supposed to.

 

[wade001]

ive tried the dryer sheet ('bounce' for example) trick before, and it works for sure! here in florida we have 2 seasons for love bugs.. spring and fall, it is dreadful sometimes..

i just went through my first love bug season in the mustang (which was ceramic coated at the time) and i had not really thought about it much until i read this thread.. but either this past season wasnt that bad, or the ceramic coating really helped.

makes me curious for the fall love bug season..

 

[460Fred]

Just a side note. If you have a lot of bugs on the nose of the car, check your air filter. You may need a shovel or vacuum to get all those corpses from the air cleaner!

When I got home I popped the hood to check the oil and noticed the dirty air filter immediately. I didn’t even look at the grill until I noticed the filter.
Getting ready to order a cleanable replacement.

 

[DCShelby]

You want bugs? Try hitting a swarm of the 17 year locusts..those are damm big bugs.

 

[SnakeAndSteak]

I've been detailing cars for over 30 years (semi-professionally), I recommend poorboys bug squash. Hands down the best I've tried.............and I've tried a lot.

Sponsored