How To Remove Bugs and Tar

Remove bugs and tar quickly with our paint-safe bug and tar removers, bug sponges, and detailing clay bars. In this detailing guide to insect removal, we’ll tell you how to remove bugs, tar, and tree sap from your vehicle without scratching. We’ll even give you some tips on preventing bug stains and etching. Learn how to keep your vehicle bug-free!

What’s So Bad About Bugs?

Yes, bugs look awful dotted across your front bumper and hood, but they’re also very destructive. Maybe it’s revenge, but bugs can damage the paint long after they hit the car. As insect remains decompose, they produce enzymes intended to break down the carcass. These enzymes also break down automotive paint, resulting in etching. (Etching requires polishing, a topic you can read about in our Dual Action or Circular Polishing Guides.)

Here in Florida and across most of the Southeast, love bugs are the primary culprit. Love bugs in particular have very fatty bodies, which produce a lot of enzymes. Plus, their sheer number and affinity for busy roads make them unavoidable. And, since they are love bugs, they hit your vehicle two at a time.

Love bugs are a major problem in the Southeast. Dozens can coat a bumper in just a couple days.

Other Sticky Contaminants

Besides bugs, your vehicle regularly encounters tar, tree sap, and bird droppings. All of these things are detrimental to the paint and should be removed ASAP (no pun intended!).

Bug & Tar Removal

As soon as you notice bugs, tar, or anything foreign on your vehicle, take action. Here’s what you can do: 

Step 1:

If the spot is relatively fresh, you can use a microfiber towel and a quick detailer to wipe the paint clean. This is ideal because you’re not removing any existing wax.

You can also use a 8 Inch Montana Original Boar’s Hair Brush. The feathered bristles are gentle yet effective at loosening stubborn grime. The 2-in-1 Wash Mitt is soft sheepskin on one side and bug-removing mesh on the other side. This one mitt is capable of luxurious washing and gentle scrubbing.

Step 4:

Yet another bug and tar removal option is detailing clay. Clay was invented to remove paint overspray, but it’s proven very effective at removing tree sap, tar, and bugs. You’ll need a bar of detailing clay and a bottle of clay lubricant. Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay is a fine grade clay designed for maintaining a slick finish. Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay and DP Universal Detailing Clay are both created to remove old, baked-on contaminants.

Spray the desired area with clay lubricant and then rub the clay bar back and forth. It will grab the surface at first. As it removes contaminants, the clay will glide more easily. If you’re claying the whole vehicle or a large area, reshape the clay bar often to reveal clean clay. For more info on clay, see our Detailing Clay How-To.

• Detailer’s Tip #2:
  Detailing Clay can be used on auto glass, too. Use it exactly the same way as described above. As long as you use plenty of lubricant, detailing clay is perfectly safe on glass and metal.

Prevention

After you’ve removed the bugs, tar, and sap, protect the vehicle with a quality wax or paint sealant. Look for a slick one, like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 or Pinnacle Signature Series II Wax. Insects will have a tough time sticking to a slippery bumper and, if they do manage to stick, their bond is often much weaker because there’re no surface tension. Therefore, the bugs are easier to remove.

Windshield sealants, like Diamondite Shield, will have the same slick effect on the glass. Plus, a glass sealant increases the driver’s visibility by keeping the windshield cleaner.