Why do Flies & Lady bugs stick to fresh paint?

Female love bugs and flies are both attracted to UV irradiated aldehydes, a major component of automobile exhaust fumes (Callahan and Denmark 1973, Callahan et al. 1985). They may confuse these chemicals with the odours emitted from decaying organic matter at typical oviposition sites.

Heat has also been shown to attract love bugs (Whitesell 1974) and contribute to their abundance on highways. Additionally, love bugs and flies seem to collect on light-coloured buildings, especially when freshly painted (Callahan 1985). Many kinds of flies are attracted to light-coloured and shiny surfaces, although the physiological or behavioural mechanisms are unknown

How to remove them ………………..sadly they must be removed.

Don't try and pick the flies out of the wet paint. Leave the paint to dry overnight and the flies can be

wiped away with a damp cloth next day often without any trace.