SARASOTA, Fla. — Love bugs have taken over the Tampa Bay area, there's no denying it. What's worse than love bugs on your vehicle? Love bugs all over you and your boat while you're trying to enjoy a day of fishing in Florida.
RECOMMENDED: How love bugs came to Florida — and no, they weren't created to eat mosquitoes
Dana Erickson, who has lived in Florida for 20 years, told ABC Action News this, unfortunately, was what happened to her last Wednesday.
Erickson said she and her husband decided to go fishing on their white 21-foot Aqua Sport boat with their friends, as they have for many years.
"We weren't even thinking about (the love bugs)," Erickson said.
Despite not thinking about them, the love bugs made their presence felt. In a video posted to her Facebook page, which has more than 25K shares, you can see the harmless bugs not only flying all around the boat but also all over the boat, Erickson, her husband in blue and their friends.
"We had only been out there for about 30 minutes," Erickson said while explaining they were trying to fish three miles outside of Lido Key Beach in Sarasota on Silvertooth Reef. "We had to leave because we couldn't fish. I was only able to catch two little red snappers and that annoyed me."
Erickson said they tried to go fast on their boat to try to get the love bugs off of it but it didn't work. She even jumped into the water because she was freaking out and wanted to get them all off of her.
"They were going in my bathing suit," Erickson said. "If you touch them, they smush. I've been down here 20 years and I've never seen anything like that ever."
How long did it take Erickson and her husband to clean off their boat after escaping the love bugs? Two hours. They had to use a power washer in order to get them off.
RECOMMENDED: Love bugs are invading Florida, this cleaning hack will keep their guts off your vehicle
"So what's worse?" we asked Erickson. "Love bugs on your car or on you and your boat during a fishing trip?"
"It is definitely worse on a boat," Erickson responded. "You're protected in your car, not so much on a boat."
