Hot to get rid of water bugs
Two of the most common insects in your pool are the swimmer and the water boater. These pests are found in the aquatic insect classified under the order Hemiptera. Insects are generally not harmful to humans, although the particular swimmer can give a painful sting. Although most insects feed on algae, the bottom swimmer feeds on the water boatman and other insects. None of the insects can live out of the water for long periods of time, so getting rid of their food supply and nesting sites will prevent the insects from living in the pool.
To get rid of aquatic insects, attack their way of life. Chlorine and shock treatments are not effective in killing them or controlling their population. To eliminate them, you need to better understand them and their preferred environments.
Water boatmen are oval-shaped insects that do not bite. Their food source is algae and tiny aquatic organisms, they eat mosquito larvae and tend to eat small aquatic animals.
Backswimmers have a streamlined body shape and bite (as painful as a horsefly), the backswimmer will surface for air, a supply of which is carried under the wings and between the fine hairs that cover the underside of the body.
- both boatmen and swimmers can fly.
- both lay eggs in underwater vegetation, in the case of pools, “algae”.
- both can be found in the mud at the bottom of streams, ponds, and ponds.
- they both NEED to get out for air, if you keep them underwater they will drown
- the water boatman swim with the right side up; backstroke swimmers swim upside down
The only way to get rid of them is by taking away their food supply, for water boatmen their algae, for those who swim upstream from their other water bugs like water boatmen or water beetles. The first step is to balance the chemistry of the water, of course, rubbing the algae off the sides and bottom of the pool, then adding bleach or hydrogen peroxide to oxidize the algae. Without algae in the pool, insects cannot and will not lay their eggs! Copper algaecides, polyquat algaecides, or copper ionization systems are the most effective means of controlling algae. If the algae are not present, the water bugs will not stay.
If you live in an area with irrigation or areas of standing water, water bugs can migrate. Not only can they fly, they can crawl. By adding borax around the pool deck, you reduce the chance of insects crawling from a ditch or puddle into your pool. But remember, they can fly. This is why it is important to properly balance the water chemistry. When they come to your pool and see that there is nothing to eat, they will leave.
If your pool is slipping away and you find bed bugs in your pool, here’s a simple treatment. At night, be sure to turn off all outside lights around your pool. Put a spotlight on the deep end to illuminate your pool. Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of liquid dish soap to the pool where the spotlight is shining. Water bugs will rise through the air and be attracted to light. The soap will create a protective barrier on the surface that bed bugs cannot penetrate and will suffocate. Just pick them up the next morning.
I have read on some forums BioGuard brand Back-Up algaecide tends to work well and is fast acting. This is not a pesticide in any way. However, there are reports that the insects die 24 hours after treatment.
Summary: Being proactive and maintaining water chemistry is the most effective way to keep water bugs out of your pool. When establishing a population, a liquid dish soap treatment or the backing algaecide can be used. Copper-based products are some of the most effective means of preventing / controlling algae.