Lovebug Screen

How hot is it in May & November?

 

I just went on a trip yesterday and there were tons of bugs flying into my car. Lots of them seem to end up on the driver/passenger side windows near the sideview mirrors. I guess that they're just following the aerodynamics of the car but boy is my car messy now. Shame I only just washed it on Saturday. Does anyone else seem to notice a lot of bugs splatter on the driver/passenger side windows near the side mirrors? As well as on the back of the side mirrors?

 

Even at those temps I keep the 1/2" pipe insulation on the bottom grill. Could you hang screen material (as used in screen doors) in front of the radiator & hold in place by the fasteners used for the plastic shields?

 

Lovebugs (March Flies, if you prefer) can indeed clog a radiator, but their paint etching reputation is slightly overblown.

(From Wikipedia: )
This species' reputation as a public nuisance is due not to any bite or sting (it is incapable of either), but to its slightly [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid"]acidic[/ame] body chemistry. Because airborne lovebugs can exist in enormous numbers near highways, they die en masse on [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile"]automobile[/ame] windshields, hoods, and radiator grills when the vehicles travel at high speeds. If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become dried and extremely difficult to remove. Their body chemistry has a nearly neutral 6.5 [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH"]pH[/ame] but may become acidic at 4.25 pH if left on the car for a day. In the past, the acidity of the dead adult body, especially the female's egg masses, often resulted in pits and etches in automotive paint and chrome if not quickly removed. However, advances in automotive paints and protective coatings have reduced this threat significantly. Now the greatest concern is excessive clogging of vehicle radiator air passages with the bodies of the adults, with the reduction of the cooling effect on engines, and the obstruction of windshields when the remains of the adults and egg masses are smeared on the glass...


The best thing to do it to gently(!) rinse them off of the radiator after you've arrived at your destination. Same goes for the paint. Be very careful around the radiator if you try to use a pressure washer, or you’ll damage the radiator fins. If you're driving on the interstate and you get swarmed, then just follow behind a truck---at a safe distance of course, until you get out of the worst of the little boogers and be thankful that you're not on a motorcycle!
Be very careful about the type of bra or screen that you put on the G3, or you'll do more damage from that than the lovebugs will wind up doing to your car.
I've always found that a really good coat of wax and frequent rinsing (of the painted surfaces and the radiator) after driving is all that I have needed.
YMMV.

Good Luck!