Why Big Bugs Love Your Windshield In Michigan!

Traveling in Michigan during the spring, summer and fall can get your windshield and headlights coated in bug splat. Are these bugs just stupid? Michigan bugs splatter on your car for a specific reason.

Bug splatter in the lower peninsula on windshields and headlights in Michigan doesn't compare to the bug spatter of the U.P. Sure we get some good size black flies, horse flies, moths and mosquitoes in the lower peninula. These bugs in the U.P. are on steroids. The U.P. bugs sound like sleet or small hail hitting your car when you are cruising along.

These Bugs Are Dumb, Why Do They Do This?

I get more bugs on my windshield and headlights during the nighttime when I am driving. AAA tells us:

Overall, most bug splats occur at night. Like the moth, as well as some flies, mosquitoes, and beetles, they’re attracted to light—and mistake the headlights for moonlight. Flying a mere 4 to 5 feet off the ground, windshields are the perfect height to catch these misguided insects, which unknowingly meet their demise.

Sure, it sounds like these insects are dumb but they are doing what is natrual to them.

Hey Nerd! Study The Guts On Your Windshield!

The kid in me is still alive and I am that guy that looks at all of the guts on my car when I am stopped. After a long drive at night thru the U.P. there's some really cool splatter.

To the untrained eye, a splat is a splat, but there are a few clues. A splat with a bit of red in it is most likely a female, because they’re the biters. The red? Somebody’s blood, which the female needs for her eggs to develop. A yellow or cream-colored splat that’s strung out is likely a moth or a butterfly.

If you want to get real nerdy you could grab a magnifying glass, have fun with that.

The Bugs Won't Come Off My Car

Bug guts are stubborn. I try to get the car to the carwash asap, I don't like the guts baking onto my car in the sun.

Cleaning off the remains isn’t always easy. Some bug remains combined with bacteria that eat it the gunk are acidic and can damage a car’s paint, but a good wax job can help remove the gunk. The sooner the splats are removed, the better. Soap and water will work...

Coca Cola is something that can work too.