On a hot summer afternoon, it's nice to take a dip in the pool for a little break from the southern heat. One day, your relaxation is interrupted by a sharp, piercing sensation. Startled, you quickly jump out of the water and peer over the edge of the pool until you find them: water bugs.
Apparently pican. The biting. It is clear that they must go.
What should be done?
The first thing to know is that you will likely find all kinds of critters and bugs in your pool from time to time. Anything from spiders to caterpillars to ants can get into your pool water. Bugs are everywhere, and just like people, they can make wrong turns, slip and fall.
These are not the types of bugs you need to worry about in your group. While you don't want to swim with a wasp, you also don't have to worry about them settling where you swim.
The animals to be treated are those that see your pool as an attraction. They want to be near this amazing water source or live in it.
This post focuses mainly on the second group: aquatic insects. But it's also worth taking a moment to talk about the first group, as it contains a number of annoying and even dangerous bugs. To know,mosquitos, mosquitoes, Dobson flies, mayflies and stone flies.
Dobsonian fly and mosquito bites. Mosquitoes transmit diseases. All of them may see your pool as an attractive place to lay their eggs.
Prevention and removal can include treating the pool, investing in a good filtration system, or minimizing outdoor lighting to avoid attracting them. Our technicians also have a range of options available to help with larger issues.problems with mosquitoes.
But what about the bugs that want to live in your pool? Below, we look at three types of swimming insects and what to do about them: water jumpers, hind swimmers, and springtails.
Water Boater Bugs: Should I Be Concerned?
Generally regarded as useful insects,boatmanthey are usually less than half an inch long. They have long, flat, dull-colored bodies. Its front legs have what appear to be paddles on the ends. This beetle's mouthparts are designed primarily for sucking, although they feed on plant matter and some even eat mosquito larvae.
These bugs don't bite humans and can help keep your pool free of debris. However, there is an issue that goes beyond the likely "yuck" factor of swimming in their pool with them. What is it? The fact that they can attract and often be confused with backstroke swimmers.
Insects that swim on their backs: beware of the sting
What's the matter withshoreline swimmer? Simple, they bite. There's a reason to avoid this mistake: the sting looks a lot like a bee sting. Not exactly something you want when you or your family are trying to take a relaxing shower.
As mentioned above, backstroke swimmers are often confused with water swimmers, so it's probably no surprise that they are quite similar. Like water captains, they move through the water with their paddle feet. They have elongated bodies and are about the same size (less than a sixth of an inch). This insect's coloration can also be boring, but it has an additional trick to ward off predators: counter-shading.
What does this means? Basically, these errors are mixed and difficult to detect. However, it's not camouflage or color changing that you're likely to associate with chameleons. Instead, backstroke swimmers are colored to blend in with the background, depending on which direction you're looking at them. From above, the dark body blends in with the bottom of the lakes where they usually live. From below, their lighter crests reflect the water and sky.
So how do you recognize backstroke swimmers and differentiate them from sailors? The biggest indicator is that they swim on their backs, while water travelers swim "right side up". If you have one of these bugs, the other will likely follow it most of the time because swimmers feed on water boats, so you should get rid of both if you see one in your pool.
Springtails in the pool: good news or bad news?
Unlike backswimmers that bite and skimmers that pose a problem because they attract backswimmers,collarbonesIt won't do any harm, at least not to you or your pool.
However, springtails can damage seedlings and other young plants. If too many of them fall into your pool, they can actually cover the surface, which most people find a nuisance.
You can tell springtails apart by their small size - they're only a sixteenth of an inch! – and their ability to leap into the air with their bouncing "tails". Because of these two things, people often confuse them with fleas, even if these insects have no interest in you or your pets. Springtails don't bite and just want to live in damp areas and eat decaying plant matter.
How do water bugs get into your pool?
The answer to this question depends on the bug in question.
Springtails often end up in pools when looking for moisture and accidentally fall in. We only include them in the "water bugs" list here because pool owners usually don't deal with one or two of them for a while, but entire populations fall into the water and cover the surface. Disgusting!
Water swimmers and backstroke swimmers are different. They are drawn to the pool as a living space and want to be in the water. How do they get in? Usually one of two options: they fly or they are born there.
Yes, that's correct. Although they mostly remain in the water, both aquatic swimmers and hind swimmers have wings and can fly. What happens is that adults who live in a nearby lake see the outdoor lights of a swimming pool and fly over to check it out.
When they arrive in your garden, the pool will look very inviting, especially if it has leaves or other plant debris that have not been removed. They will see this as a food source and will refer to your pool as a suitable place to lay eggs. As we already mentioned, surfers are the food source for swimmers. Left untreated, it could soon become the problem of a generation of water travelers or backstroke swimmers.
What can you do to prevent (or get rid of) water bugs in your pool?
The answer to these questions depends on the nature of the errors. Let's start with springtails.
Prevent and eliminate springtails
Since springtails mostly live in moist soil and vegetation, the best way to keep them out of your pool is to keep plants away. Especially if you have plants or trees sticking out of the pool, do your best to cut or move them. It can look more lush and natural.surround your pool with plants, but you're basically asking springtails to swim with you.
How to get rid of springtails when they are in the water? Springtails that end up in water will die anyway. This means that removing them basically means removing the bodies. Your pool filter should do most of this work, as long as you keep it clean. Bodies that do not filter must be manually removed with a pool skimmer.
Prevention and elimination of jumpers
The two things that most attract water travelers to pools are the lights and the plants, so you need to focus on these when it comes to prevention.
Ideally, all outdoor lights should be at least 30 feet from the pools and you should use the lowest possible wattage that still provides enough light. Of course, we recognize that some people might not be able to handle that extra 30 feet of distance and still light up their pools. Therefore, the second part of prevention is even more important.
There are a few things you can do to keep plant matter out of your pool.
Start by doing a “shock chlorination” twice a week. This will kill any organic material in the water. Just make sure you don't swim in the pool again until the chlorine levels return to safe levels: between 1.0 and 3.0 PPM.
Then use algaecides after chlorination returns to safe levels. This step will kill any algae in the water. Product instructions should tell you how much to use for your pool.
After about 12 hours, brush and vacuum the pool to remove dead algae, insects, and other organic matter. Along with skimming, you should do this regularly. If you can spend 15 minutes a day cleaning your pool it will make a huge difference when it comes to keeping your water clean and safe.
Prevent and eliminate backstroke swimmers
Much of the advice used for aquatic swimmers can be applied to backstroke swimmers. The most important thing to remember is that the "food" of swimmers is other insects. Eliminating other bugs will go a long way with any back problems you have.
ABC can protect your pool from pests
Fifteen minutes a day may not seem like a lot, but as any pool owner knows, sticking to a regular daily cleaning schedule isn't easy. Also, you need to remember that we're talking about the time you need to spend on a regular basis after you've already fixed any water bug issues you may have. To solve the problem, you will spend much more time and energy in the beginning. the pProfessionals for cleaning toolsfrom ABC Home & Commercial Services has been helping pool owners deal with frustrating and dangerous pests for decades. We know what it takes to not only clean your water, but keep it that way.