How to Get Rid of Love Bugs
Yech! Love bugs are in the air, in your home, and on your car. Try this "Love Bug Spray" and other natural solutions to get rid of these annoying (and gross) pests!
Love bugs. If you live in a humid place, you may be familiar with these annoying insects. While “love” is in their name, many do not feel too amorous toward these creatures. They show up in late April or May and September, from Texas to Florida, and as far north as North Carolina. While these critters don’t bite or sting, their dense swarms splatter windshields and can even clog radiator grills causing your vehicle to overheat. So what can you do to get rid of them? We have a few natural solutions.
How to Get Rid of Love Bugs
In the Home
Some people have had success using ceiling fans to keep love bugs from flying into their homes. Turn the fan on high to keep them from finding a comfy place to land.
Outside the Home
Keep your lawn mowed. Love bug larvae grow in thatch, so a mowed lawn reduces their breeding ground.
Keeping Them Off Your Car
Wax your car right before their season begins. This will help reduce the effects of splattered insects as well as help prevent them from sticking to the paint. Lather a little baby oil or spray some cooking spray on your car’s hood and bumper. Wash frequently. This will help make the cleaning the bug residue easier. Wet dryer sheets also work well to wipe off any bugs that stick on your car. Try these other suggestions from expert Floridians for keeping your car love-bug-free.
Fun Fact: The male love bug dies after mating and is dragged around by the female until she lays her eggs.
Love Bug Spray
This tried-and-true spray is known to effectively get rid of love bugs. And it uses ingredients you have right in your pantry.
1 cup water
3 tablespoons citrus dish soap
3 tablespoons mouthwash
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray on plants and walls where love bugs are.
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
These are some nice suggestions, as well as using direct self-spray spray-on repellant and keeping the indoor areas attended-ly protected. I appreciate the less cancer-chopsey solutions in the country terrain areas, with that beautiful scenery.
I have “concocted” a mix that I use in my 20 gallon hose end sprayer that the wife uses to fertilize and water her flowers and it has knocked the swarms down drastically.
1/2 cup lemon dish soap
1 cup lemon ammonia
1/4 cup lemon juice concentrate
Enough water to finish filling the container.
Soak the area in the early morning and again in the late afternoon (We have a large area to spray that requires 3 or 4 concoction mixes). I sprayed ours for 3 consecutive days afterwards, one day a week and there is a HUGE difference. I can now sit on my porch and enjoy my coffee without being swarmed.
We hang 4 Sticky Fly Ribbons both front and back porch! In 24 hours they are full there are so many! I then change them in the evening when they have quieted down some!
If your having an issue with the bugs get a 5 gallon bucket of water. Pour a bottle of baby oil in it and place it about 50 feet away from the area that you have the issue. They are attracted to the baby oil and it will drawl them away from your house.
A Burgess propane fogger gets rid of the majority. Fog nightly with no breeze, or daily when they are active if your neighbors don’t mind. Also kills mosquitos.
How long did it keep them away
The love bug spray worked but the bugs kept on coming back and my back porch was filled with love bugs
Just saturated my outside pool cage with this mixture. As soon as it dried the little boogers came back. Got to find something stronger.
Get a large white plastic bowl fill half way with water add 1/4 cup of cooking oil. Set it away from your door on your porch. It will drown thousand that are attracted to the bowl. If you have chickens. Free protein..
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, Jody!
Tried this last fall; it did catch a hundred or so of the critters, but not enough to make a dent in the thousands that were congregating on our front porch, which happens to be painted bright white.
We even tried vacuuming them up, that also got rid of a few thousand, but they just kept coming back by the hordes!
I’m going to try this love bug spray because those things are ambushing my front porch
Did any of that work