Bug removal minor epiphany

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Dave Taylor
The recent rains brought flocks of bugs, but that’s over so I went after the front of the truck tonight.
On the airplanes, I’ve tried many things posted here including ‘immediate wipe-up’, pre-soaking by a applying lengths of towels to the wing LE, all the marvelous commercial concoctions…and excessive amounts of elbow grease. Was never happy with any result obtained.

So I am looking at the bugs on the grill as I punish their lifeless body parts with my cold wet rag and realize they smear, almost like wax.
I went into the garage and retrieved a bucket of scalding hot water, with some typical car wash solution splashed in, wondering if the heat would make a difference… it did. Enough to write POA about.
The heat is not enough to harm the airplane, I figure if my hand can take that temp, the LE’s can. It cools down when the rag is immersed, then moved to the surface.

So if you have access to hot water at the airplane, consider this option.
Maybe your local bugs will have a similar chemical composition.
 
extrapolating here...but I think the water was scalding hot "-ish" when retrieved
then by the time the rag was dunked in it had cooled enough for the hand to touch.....but was still very warm.
there. Does that help?
 
Amazing what adding a little heat to the equation will do most of the time. Follow up with some wax or rain repellant spray. The scenic operation I used to hang around a lot would continuously wax/polish the crap out of the leading edges. Keeps em nice and slick for much easier wipedowns between mosquito/black fly swarm penetrations. I imagine it does a lot to protect the paint as well, bug guts can be surprisingly aggressive when left on there for a while. I do the same for the nose of my truck when I have time, really helps cut down the elbow grease requirement.
 
Brad W said:
extrapolating here...but I think the water was scalding hot "-ish" when retrieved
then by the time the rag was dunked in it had cooled enough for the hand to touch.....but was still very warm.
there. Does that help?
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Ah, it’s inconsecutive. Yes that helps. Thanks.
 
I can usually get the wings/tail with a medium amount of elbow grease and my spray cleaner. When I get to the front cowl - I don't think it's ever been totally clean since the day I bought it. This gives me hope. I'll try hot water and see if that helps :)

Appreciate the tip!
 
I wipe down the plane (mostly the prop and leading edges) after every flight. I use spray wax with a microfiber cloth. It not only removes the bug carcasses but keeping wax on the surface makes the bug leftovers easier to remove. The real secret is to get to them early and often after a flight. Bug juice is some nasty stuff and can make a mess of the paint ...
 
I clean and maintain the forward edges with Pledge, sprayed onto a nylon stocking. Takes bug guts off pretty easily and resists future bugs sticking...
 
Daleandee said:
Bug juice is some nasty stuff and can make a mess of the paint ...
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Nasty indeed. A few years ago i had a faceful of guts all over my motorcycle helmet. It was a wet n' chilly ride, so I got lazy after getting home and didn't clean it 'til a day or two later. Oh man, I was not ready for the STENCH. Before that, I had never associated dead bugs to be just as much rotting corpses as any other roadkill. The goo ate up the polycarbonate and enamel so bad, I ended up having to get a new visor as mine had become polka-dotted where each insect met its maker.
 
Yes heat helps a lot as I have been using a heated pressure washer AKA a steam cleaner for years on work trucks and RV/trailers.
I don't feel you need heat to clean off the bugs on a small plane. If you got it great, it'll help keep your hands warm on a cold day.
I fly a lot and down low in the river valleys around here and the amount of bugs I am sure you can imagine. I had 2 small bird strikes this past summer that left blood on the wing strut(big bugs) lol I know the smell of dead bugs...
I used to strictly use spray glaze and a towel to remove bugs.
My buddy suggested I try a scrub pad with a little water, even gave the pad to me. I have to admit it is easier and faster then using glaze every time. You do get a little wet up to your elbows using water on a high wing.
I use that blue scrub pad, red coffee container half full of water with a drop of car wash in it for lube. Get em all wet and then they come off pretty easy after being wet for 2-3 minutes. I use full size bath towels to wipe the plane dry. I glaze the leading edges also to help minimize scrubbing with the pad and help protect the paint.
Aero glaze is expensive but does work the best from the other glazes I have tried on cars and trucks.
IMG_1078.JPG
 
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The simplest trick I've found is just getting a wet rag and soaking the leading edge and letting it sit "wet" for a few minutes, then wiping off. Warm water may help some, but just letting the bug parts rehydrate for a few minutes seems to work well enough.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
The simplest trick I've found is just getting a wet rag and soaking the leading edge and letting it sit "wet" for a few minutes, then wiping off. Warm water may help some, but just letting the bug parts rehydrate for a few minutes seems to work well enough.
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Our club has a wipe the bugs off after every flight rule. We just use a basic spray bottle of water. There's a touch of Dawn in it but it's not really necessary.

Spray right wing. Spray left wing. Wipe off right wing. Wipe off left wing. Total time about 2 minutes. Repeat for other areas as needed.
 
If you fly a fast plane the leading edges will be hot....as soon as you land and get it put away spray it down. Bugs come off easy peasy. Both the heat and spray will soften the bugs. o_O
 
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Here in Florida we have love bugs every spring and late summer. Gotta remove them right away or they can mess up the paint. A fabric softener sheet does a great job of removing them, but then you have to wash off the residue from that. What works just as well is hydrogen peroxide. Spray or wipe it on and the bugs come right off. I’ve used it on cars, the plane and my motorcycle - painted surfaces, glass and plastic windows - with no problems.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Our club has a wipe the bugs off after every flight rule. We just use a basic spray bottle of water. There's a touch of Dawn in it but it's not really necessary.
Spray right wing. Spray left wing. Wipe off right wing. Wipe off left wing. Total time about 2 minutes. Repeat for other areas as needed.
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See, this is what I'm talking about the bugs being different in various parts of the country; that would not work here. Ours are sort of bonded on to the surface, I think they are eating gorilla glue plant nectar or something!
Or, if you mean your folks wipe down immediately after every flight - that doesn't work for many of us flying family - we are expected to park it and get them home! (or to our destination hotel)
 
Jeff Oslick said:
The simplest trick I've found is just getting a wet rag and soaking the leading edge and letting it sit "wet" for a few minutes, then wiping off. Warm water may help some, but just letting the bug parts rehydrate for a few minutes seems to work well enough.
Click to expand...

Again, this does not seem to work well for 'my' bugs as noted in my first post ("presoaking"). It certainly helps, but was suboptimal. That's why I kept looking for a better way. For my bugs. Glad it's working for yours.
 
asicer said:
So is it scalding or isn't it?
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It's scalding.

Apparently you have not seen my hands.

(no camera - so currently googling for the ugliest, most abused, scarred, cracked, blistered, thickened farmer's hands a person has seen)
 
GeorgeC said:
I bet this weird banned trick works for dishes and laundry too.
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Oh yes, Big BugSpray is planning to kill me and steal my patent. On hot water for bugs and dishes/laundry.
Black SUVs with crazy antennae parked on the highway for hours. An unmarked helo flew over low just now.
 
Scrub Daddy scrubbers, warm water, and a modicum of elbow grease works for me. Scrub Daddy's won't harm paint or composite surfaces.
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Basic chemistry. Increased temperature (and surfactants, i.e. detergent), will speed dissolution of dirt and grimy bits. A bucket of warm soapy water is great for bug removal from leading edges and other airplane parts. Applying a little car wax to leading edges, or silicone plastic cleaner to windshields, will make the next set of smashed bugs adhere more poorly.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
See, this is what I'm talking about the bugs being different in various parts of the country; that would not work here. Ours are sort of bonded on to the surface, I think they are eating gorilla glue plant nectar or something!
Or, if you mean your folks wipe down immediately after every flight - /QUOTE]
That's the idea. We have to secure the aircraft ourselves after we fly. Tie it down, cover it if it's outside, wipe the bugs off.

If you can't do that and have to leave the airplane alone for hours, yes you have a different issue. Unless of course you have the kinds of bugs in Texas I haven't encountered in the southeast, northeast, mountain west, desert southwest, and California.
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Wax, Polymer Coating or Ceramic coating on leading edge makes bug removal easy. Think the folks that are having a real hard time don't have any of those on their wings.
 
I like a quick detailer spray. It's basically water with a little soap and a little wax. Keeps the leading edge waxed, which in turns makes it easier to recover remove the bugs. I'm currently using griot's garage speed shine, mainly because I love the smell, but there may be better products. It's nice to have a spray bottle around for the occasional bird bomb, or to just wipe the dust & dirt off.

I don't like using just hot and/or soapy water as it will strip the wax off and make the job harder over time. Like others have said, the key is soak time. Spray the wing, let it sit for a bit, then get to wiping. I find that the bugs are easiest to remove right after a flight. If I let them sit for a couple days, they are much harder to remove.
 
^^^^^ I use Lucas quick wax in the spray bottle. After a few wipe downs bug removal gets easier even if left to the next day to clean. $10/bottle online if purchased as a case of six.
 
robin ardoin said:
^^^^^ I use Lucas quick wax in the spray bottle. After a few wipe downs bug removal gets easier even if left to the next day to clean. $10/bottle online if purchased as a case of six.
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I'll have to look into that...griots stuff is expensive. But it smells so nice....
 
The Lucas smells nice too. My wife is still not convinced I have not been flying to houses of ill repute!
 
Daleandee said:
I wipe down the plane (mostly the prop and leading edges) after every flight. I use spray wax with a microfiber cloth. It not only removes the bug carcasses but keeping wax on the surface makes the bug leftovers easier to remove. The real secret is to get to them early and often after a flight. Bug juice is some nasty stuff and can make a mess of the paint ...
Click to expand...

Same here, spray Wash Wax All on the LE of both wings, let it sit for a minute or two, wipe off with a micro fiber rag. Easy peasy.
 
Soaking helps a great deal. I go around with a spray bottle and hit the leading edges and my front cowl. That takes a minute or two. I then come around with a microfiber towel and they bugs come up pretty easy. Then i put a spray wax. Takes about 10 minutes. I think doing it routinely instead of having 6 months worth of bugs on your plane makes a difference, too.
 
I keep Pledge polish on my leading edges and cowling.
Immediately after going in the hangar I spray Windex on the leading edge and allow to soak for 30 seconds or so. Bugs come right off.
Prist stays on the windscreen also.
 
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