Lovebugs and Protecting Your Vehicle

In this article, I am going to outline lovebugs and why they are extremely detrimental to your vehicles finish, how this damage can be prevented and why using certain suggestions online is not the answer.

In Florida, lovebug season occurs twice per year, occurring in the months of May and September. Long time Florida residents know how detrimental they can be to a vehicles finish. The reason that lovebugs leave paint damage is because when they degrade, an enzyme is produced to aid in decay that is acidic, and thus overtime if left untreated, chemically assaults your vehicles clear coat. This assault over time can lead to what is known as clear coat etching and is often times expensive to repair the damage done.

With advances in car coating technologies, this damage can be prevented and stopped dead in its tracks. Professional grade ceramic coating services like the ones we use at Apex are the solution. Chemical (pH change damage resistance) is one of the strongest aspects of ceramic coatings. By adding this additional layer to your vehicle’s existing clear coat, a strong chemically resistant barrier is created. This is due to the fact that silicon dioxide, or SiO2 in terms of chemistry, is the main ingredient in ceramic coatings. Without getting too deep into chemistry, a rule in chemistry known as the “octet rule” is the reasoning behind this. This means that atom prefer to have 8 electrons in their valence “outer” shell. The image below represents the Lewis dot structure of SiO2. The lines connecting silicon (Si) with O (O2) represent shared covalent bonds (1 line=2 shared electrons).

Lewis dot structure for silicon dioxide

Hydrogen (H+) ions are the basis for the chemical onslaught on from lovebugs. Hydrogen (H+) ions contain 1 electron and 2 protons. Since oxygen in the above molecule only has 4 electrons in its valence (outer) shell, it has no problem filling its valence shell with Hydrogen (H+) ions to achieve its preferred octet (8 electron state). After filling its octet, the chemical onslaught is stopped dead in its tracks due to every element in the chain now in its preferred state and thus preventing further chemical reactions that are damaging.

A common reactionary method to cleaning lovebugs commonly found online is the dryer sheet method. While it sometimes works, it’s like fighting fire with fire chemically speaking. It attacks the lovebug guts, but it also weakens your vehicles clearcoat. At Apex, we prefer to use a prevention method approach that puts less strain of your vehicles finish. We offer a lovebug damage prevention package that coats the front bumper/hood, windshield and mirror covers in professional grade ceramic protection some your vehicle can endure lovebug season unscathed for years to come. To see our ceramic coating services, see the following link: “Professional Ceramic Coating Services”