How To Keep Bugs From Your Pool
Posted by downunderpool In Category : Pool MaintenanceIn tag : Arizona,Bug zapper,bugs,chemical treatments,mosquitoes,pests,pool brushing,Pool Care,pool maintenance
The bugs are bad this time of year in Arizona! If you’ve stepped outside to spend some time in your pool in the last few weeks, you know exactly what I’m talking about! The last few evenings I’ve spent in my pool, I’ve been eaten alive by mosquitoes. Now I’m constantly scratching. Even the city of Mesa has taken to the streets with pest control foggers to try to combat these mosquitoes.
I love swimming in my pool, and I’m not about to get driven out by these hoards of bugs! That’s why I talked to a local pest control expert to see what practical measures can be taken to keep bugs away from our Arizona swimming pools.
Whether you’re dealing with mosquitoes, flies, wasps, scorpions, or spiders infesting your pool; here are a few tips to keep these creepy-crawlies away:
How To Keep Bugs From Your Pool
After a long day at the office, or shuttling the kiddos around the town, the last thing you want to do is come home to relax in your pool, only to be surrounded by tiny corpses of floating bugs. You don’t want to send the kids out for a swim, only to hear the shrill shrieking of your kids after they find a dead scorpion in your pool.
Here are a few things you can do to help ensure this doesn’t happen:
Proper chemical treatments. One of the first steps you need to take as a pool owner, to keep the bugs away, is to make sure your pool has regular chemical treatments. With pool water that is properly treated with the appropriate chemicals, insects will be less likely to not only come by for a drink, but ever return. Additionally, mosquitoes will not lay their eggs in chemically treated water. Proper and regular chemical treatments will also prevent algae from blooming—something else that is known to attract the bugs.
Pool cover. If you are having a serious problem with bugs getting into your pool, elect to use a pool cover. Not only will this help keep the bugs out of your pool when it’s not in use, it will also help prevent water evaporation.
Remove standing water. Look around your property. Do you see any standing water (other than your pool of course)? Puddles accumulating after monsoon rains, or standing water in old swings or wheelbarrows make for an ideal spot for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.
Landscaping. Look around your property. Do you see any plants, branches, or trees that are surrounding your pool and hanging over the pool area? If so, trim them back. While these trees and plants do a great deal to beautify your pool, they also act as a super-highway for insects to reach your pool.
Regulate pool light usage. It’s no secret that light attract bugs. When you’re not using your pool, especially during the evening hours, make sure you turn off your pool lights. Also look to replace UV bulbs with LED bulbs. This is just another way to minimize the lure of your pool to insects.
Pool skimming. Skimming the surface of your pool seems so basic that many people don’t realize how much of an impact that failing to do so will have. Regularly skim your pool, and don’t let the insect bodies pile up, as this will only attract more bugs.
Gardening. Planting a few specific plants in your backyard can help deter pests. For some reason, flies really despise the smell of basil. You can use this to your advantage by placing pots of basil around your home and pool. Even though your cat may love catnip, mosquitoes hate it. In fact, according to Science Daily, catnip repels mosquitoes better than DEET. To keep mosquitoes out of your yard, grow catnip. Planting rosemary, lemon balm, lemon grass, marigolds, horsemint, and citronella will all also help keep bugs away.
Pool brushing. Like I mentioned before, algae will attract the bugs to your pool. A good pool brushing prevents algae from blooming, thus reducing the insects attracted to the algae. Once you’ve brushed the pool you will need to vacuum all of the debris you’ve stirred up.
Eliminate food sources. It’s no secret that food will attract flies, bees, and wasps to your pool. Eliminate sources of outdoor food- pet food, fallen fruit, etc. Clean up any spilled soda or leftover food from barbecues past. Additionally, remove items that provide shelter for spiders and other pests- yard debris, trash, construction waste, etc.
Bug zappers. I know it’s kind of cliché, but installing a bug zapper in your backyard will kill off a lot of flying pests before they make their way into your pool. These devices are designed to attract and then kill insects, such as mosquitoes, so it’s a smart idea to have one. Just make sure you regularly clean up the dead bugs.
Down Under Pool Care Services To Help
If you want to greatly diminish the bug and pest population in and around your pool, you need to give Down Under Pool Care a call today. Our pool professionals can help you with some of the above mentioned tips, including: regular cleaning and chemical treatments, pool brushings, pool skimmings, and changing out your pool’s bulbs.
Take the above mentioned steps, call Down Under Pool Care, and start swimming bug free today!
Call Today!
(480) 671-1184
Leave a Reply