When walking they are not generally a problem. But their biggest impact (inadvertant pun) is while driving. They tend to swarm in a thick cloud over sun warmed pavement. Right about grill to windshield height. Their bodies include a rather caustic substance that is also sticky. So on the windshield the splat and smear and normal washer fluid takes forever to cut through the blur. Thus the suggestion to use rain-X. It puts a silicone layer on the window making the goo not stick quite as fast, but you may have to reapply a bit more frequent. You might try the rain-x that is made to be mixed into the wiper fluid.GaTechGal wrote:They'll definitely be there the end of May. They are just these annoying flying bugs. Don't bite or sting or anything - kind of like house flies. But there are SO MANY of them and they tend to congregate in large groups (bug orgies?) so it makes them even creepier. Just ignore them. Don't try and kill them as they give off a nasty oder.
The other auto related problem is that the substance is also caustic. It will eat through car wax in short order and can damage a paint job. And since it is still sticky it is hard to get off the car. So many Fla locals I have talked to like to spray the front, sides and top of the car with Pam (cooking antistick spray). Don't get it on the windshield as it blurs like grease. And you have to reapply after each rain. But it does stop them from sticking and the ex-bugs can be washed off easier.
I understand that they tend to only be a problem for a very few weeks at a time, but the problem spot slowly shifts south and so a long north south drive may be affected for more than a month, while if you are staying in one place (like WDW) they may only be a problem for 2 weeks at most.
Any locals have other info, plus or minus. I don't experince these buggers up here in the north but have seen them at WDW once, and heard from locals for years. So I may not be the most up to date on the problems and solutions. ;)
Randy
