The bugs are back in town – love bugs, that is.

Each May and September, the semi-annual pests make their way through the county, wreaking havoc on residents’ cars.

The species’ reputation as a public nuisance is due to its slightly acidic body chemistry. When the bugs die en masse on automobile windshields, grills and hoods as they swarm local roads, that chemistry makes them difficult to remove.

Local detailers said Wednesday that it’s crucial to get those bugs off vehicles as soon as possible.

Carl Norris, at C1 Care Care, recommended that love bugs that have “committed suicide” not stay on one’s care any longer than 72 hours, while Wendell Edwards of T&M Detailing said no longer than a week.

“If you leave them there, it will ruin your paint,” Edwards said. “But, I can get them off.”

While Edwards wasn’t willing to share his recipe for getting the bugs off, he did say he’s seen plenty of vehicles that have chipped paint.

Norris agreed he’s seen his fair share of vehicles ruined from these bugs, and said the best thing he’s found to help keep love bugs off is a good car wax.

“Keep your car waxed,” he said. “We sell it here, and that’s the best thing. You need to wax your vehicle every 30 days for best results during the prime season.”

Both Norris and Edwards said they’ve seen worse seasons than this one.

“We’ve had worse,” Norris said. “But we hardly had any last season, and it’s definitely picked up in the last week or so.”

Edwards agreed.

“It was pretty bad a week ago,” he said.