I just found an ad for this stuff in one of my off-road magazines, and it sounds like a good solution to your "Love Bug" problems. It comes in an aerosol can, and the spray creates a thin barrier of acrylic polymer to keep off bug & tar residue. It is water soluble, so it washes off with a regular car wash and carries the residue away. The ad suggests that you apply it before long road trips or in heavy but season. Take a look:

Rain-X: Outsmart the Elements | Wiper Blades, Windshield Treatments, Weather, Bug and Tar repellent products for your car

 

I love their window treatment stuff. I almost never use my wipers. This is probably worth giving a try to, especially if you live in a high bug area, like Florida during Love Bug season, or Minnesota during a lake fly hatching.

 

Hey, Jeff-
Although we don't have the "love bug" problem in the Bay Area, and since I got my hood deflector the bugs on the windshield and upper hood are no longer the problem they once were, I will probably get a can of this stuff anyway. I would prefer to have tested anything that I mention on the forums, but this time I thought the Florida folks might be interested in the new information.

 

I've tried this type of spray before. The spray I bought (I think it was from Duplicolor) sprayed on and was like a dust layer. You could just wipe your finger over it and take it off right after spraying it. The spray one of my buddies had went on clear and you had to wash it off. That one seemed to work well for him and I think it was made by 3M. You should definitely steer away from the colored sprays because when you spray it or when you wash it off it can get into hard to clean/reach places. I used it once and stopped. It was too much of a pain to clean off the the black spray (only tested it because it was on sale). I was going to be ricey and paint the hood black with it to see how it would look like though.

 

hmmm sounds intresting!! I hate these love bugs, seriously!

 

Im going to the local auto part store and see if they carry it... I will give it a try and let you guys know how it turned out!

 

My reason for starting this thread was the thought that, if our little "flying chisels" collect a damaging amount of bugs on the front beveled surfaces, think about how much worse the problem must be for the huge, square-faced trucks and SUV's the magazine is aimed at where I found the advertisement.

If your local auto parts store doesn't have it in stock, try an off-road specialty shop like 4Wheel Parts.

 

OK so here is the vredict... I went to so many auto part store and 4X4 shop and no one does not carry it... Yesterday at night I went food shopping at walmart at night and yes down here in Florida they have there own grocery store but any ways I was walking by the automotive section and bam they have it. So I got one can of this rain-x stuff.
I just washed the car and applied the spray, well for one it gives the paint a dull look but its a good thing cause it protects the paint from all these love bug, two I tried washing it off after 2 hours and it washed off with no problem, very easy.
So I definitely recommend this product but if you are into the shiny look then this is not the product for you.

 

This sounds similar to the spray my friend used. It goes on clear and makes the paint look rough and flat. He drove up and down from Miami and Orlando all the time and his paint looks like new still after bug season. I think you are supposed to wash it off after so many days or weeks, but my friend just kept it on for months at a time and it still came off after washing it. I think the spray is good if you dont mind sacrificing for looks. I'd use it on long trips for sure.

A lot less work than taping up the whole front bumper!