How to Get Rid of Love Bugs
Darren Driscoll • June 3, 2013
The Florida love bug season is in full swing and we’ve been battling them as we’ve been installing gutters here in Central Florida. People in our service area are all too familiar with them, but for those of you who read our blog outside of Florida, let me introduce you to these nasty bugs.
Though we call them bugs they are actually flies, and around this time of year they decide to mate. They love to congregate around highways where they slam into car windshields and grills, becoming a traffic hazard.
They like the highways because the fumes remind them of rotting leaves and vegetation, two things they really enjoy. They’re attracted to lawnmower fumes and the smell of fresh paint, too.
It’s a really good idea to clean up the swarms right away, whether they’re on your car or stuck to your gutters. Their bodies are acidic and they can do permanent damage.
And if you let dead love bug bodies dry then you’ll get to deal with a mess that’s akin to leaving oatmeal in a bowl overnight. They turn into a kind of nasty cement product.
But there’s actually a specific Florida product for keeping these things off your car. Appropriately enough, it’s called The Love Bug Solution.
The idea is the solution creates a clear coating that keeps the love bugs from sticking. If a few do manage to get on your car you can just wash them away.
Take a look.
You can even visit their site to track love bug outbreaks.
You can also discourage love bugs from entering your yard with a few simple steps:
- Get rid of dead leaves and other debris.
- Avoid painting projects until love bug painting season has passed – they love the smell of fresh paint.
- Avoid idling your car or lawn mower to keep your yard free from gas fumes.
One thing’s for sure. Between love bugs, sinkholes, giant snails and hurricanes, life is never dull around here.
We install seamless aluminum gutters in Ocala, FL and the rest of the Tampa Bay metro area. Contact us today to get a free estimate on your home gutter project.
Everybody wants to save money on home maintenance costs. We get it. Even if you realize the full extent of everything your gutters do to protect your home from water damage, you probably don’t want to spend an arm and a leg making it happen.
So if you’re considering DIY gutter installation, hey, we can hardly blame you. After all, we know, and you know, that you could go grab a 6″ x 10″ aluminum K-style gutter in 10″ lengths for about $15 at your local Home Depot.
So how do you know whether you should do that, or whether you [...]
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If you’re hoping to find a gutter that can literally last a lifetime then galvalume gutters might appeal to you. These types of gutters can easily last 100 years or more if maintained properly. They’re also less expensive than copper gutters, which is another type of gutter that can last 100 years.
Despite their longevity, it’s rare to see galvalume gutters on homes in our service area. In fact, in the 40+ years we’ve been in business we’ve never been asked to put galvalume gutters on a home.
They aren’t as aesthetically appealing as copper or even seamless aluminum gutters that [...]
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They gleam in the sunlight and are reminiscent of stately homes and churches from another era. There’s no denying that copper gutters are gorgeous. There are even people who will tell you they’re more eco-friendly than their aluminum counterparts.
They’re also the most expensive type of gutter you can buy, so you will want to think carefully before deciding they’re right for you.
What are the biggest benefits of copper gutters?
There’s no denying copper gutters offer some impressive benefits.
They don’t rust.
They are algae-proof and fungi-proof.
They’re structurally stable and sound.
They’re durable and do a good job of standing up to our climate here [...]
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Here in the Tampa metro area we get 54″ of torrential rain every year. That means most homeowners need strong, durable gutters capable of holding up to so much water.
K-style gutters, also known as “ogee” gutters, are a great solution which allows homeowners to do just that. They hold more water than rounded gutters. They’re also tougher, doing a better job of standing up to water pressure, winds, and other stresses without bending or protruding. Finally, they blend in nicely with any style home so they always look great.
It’s for these reasons why we only install K-Style gutters.
K-Style Gutters: [...]
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Todd Dudkewic has retired after over 40 years of owning and managing Rain Control Aluminum of Central Florida Inc. He’s sold the business to us, the Driscolls. We’ve always wanted to own a family business, so this is an exciting opportunity for us!
We’re Darren and Gwen Driscoll, and we’re excited to step into Todd’s tradition of providing excellent, ethical rain gutter service to the residents of Central Florida.
Darren worked with Todd for over a decade before taking this step. Darren comes from a management role at a very successful Master Elite Residential Roofing Company (Sharpe Professional Roofing, LLC). [...]
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When you’re gearing up to sell your home you usually don’t want to put too much money into it. After all, you won’t be around to enjoy it.
But putting money into things that can make your home sell for a lot more is a smart investment. And while most people think about kitchens and bathrooms first, gutter guards are a right choice if you position them correctly (and if you buy the right ones).
How Gutter Guards Can Help You Sell
Think about it. What’s the number one commodity most people are hurting for? What’s the number one thing that brings people [...]
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You might wonder why on earth a seamless gutter company would publish a list of their competitors, but at Rain Control Gutters, we believe in putting the customer first!
Installing seamless aluminum gutters is a major investment in your home, and we know you’ll want to do your research to make sure you’re getting the best service and value.
We started a similar list of the best gutter installers in Tampa a few years ago. We got such positive feedback for putting such a list together we thought we’d do it for other cities starting with Odessa, FL.
Here are five seamless gutter [...]
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On our blog we’ve done a lot of talking about hurricanes. It’s only natural. We help people manage the way weather effects their home. And hurricanes are not only a whole lot of weather, they’re almost a fixture in the Tampa metro area.
This year NOAA predicts a normal hurricane season, with 9 to 15 named storms. 4 to 8 of those could become hurricanes. And they predict at least 2 to 4 major hurricanes.
We’ve gathered a few resources to help people in our service area make it through hurricane season, safe and sound. Some of these resources are elsewhere [...]
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Nobody spends a lot of time taking Pinterest photos of their gutters or talking about them on HGTV. But they’re one of the most important parts of your house.
Especially in the Tampa metro area! Our torrential rains are no joke.
Your gutters protect your home. Which means your gutter contractor had best be someone good at his or her job.
But how can you know?
You’ve got to do a little research. Here are some things to look for.
1. A ton of positive reviews.
Look, customers aren’t exactly unaware of Google+, Yelp, and Facebook recommendations.
If a gutter company can’t get great reviews, something’s [...]
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Water damage is brutal. It can ruin both your home and your belongings. It can leave behind mold, an even more destructive force.
And if you’re not mitigating your water damage risk because you think insurance will cover everything, you may be in for a rude awakening.
Insurance is for emergencies.
Homeowner’s insurance typically covers things like tree limbs falling and tearing a hole in your roof, or tornadoes ripping the shingles away. It doesn’t cover basic maintenance failures, or even, always, the results of those maintenance failures.
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