They only get in the hives when they are open, the largest amount of damage is to the paint on vehicles. They are attacted to the exhaust, heat or something on the hiways and contain an acid that eats the paint if not scrubbed off daily, have been know to cause overheating of vehicles. They just kinda float around and get on/in everything. They like light colors, only last 3-4 weeks, May and September. I made a mistake and wore a white shirt yesterday.