A Watery Grave for Insects: How to Keep Bugs Out of Your Pool

A swimming pool is more than a hole in the ground filled with water. It's a place for play and relaxation, as well as a place for exercise. Even when it's not in use, it's a striking water feature. A swimming pool shouldn't be a watery grave for the local insect population, but those floating bodies are often a regular sight in many swimming pools. So how can you keep insects out of your pool?

Change the surface tension

The surface tension of water is what allows dead insects to float. They're simply too light to sink to the bottom. You can purchase a specialist product which you add to the water as per the manufacturer's instructions. This chemical reduces the water's surface tension, allowing the bugs to sink to the bottom of the pool. It's harmless to humans, and won't affect any other chemicals in the water.

Install automatic pool cleaning

The insects might not be on the surface of the water, but out of sight and out of mind isn't the same as them being out of the pool. If you don't already have one, invest in an automatic pool cleaner which will remove the dead insects from their watery grave (so you don't have to).

Use a skimmer box lid with a ramp

You also have to consider insects that are sucked into the skimmer box before drowning and sinking. Yes, they'll still drown inside the skimmer box, but this can be avoided—which in turn avoids the skimmer box becoming a mass grave. 

Instead, purchase a skimmer box lid with a built-in ramp designed for this specific purpose. It allows insects to scuttle up the ramp, exit via the hole in the lid and fly away to safety.

Clean out your pool filter

Even when you alter the water's surface tension and create an escape route for any yet-to-be-drowned insects, a fair number of the critters will be sucked into your filter. Because of this, don't forget to regularly backwash your cartridge filter, or replace your sand or DE (diatomaceous earth) filter. 

Algae management

Additionally, cleaning the filter is one way to reduce algae in the pool, making it less appealing to the local insect population. A well-maintained filter also means that the water will circulate properly, again making it less appealing to insects (who tend to prefer still, stagnant water).

Use pool lights sparingly

Your night-time usage of your pool can also inadvertently attract insects. Pool lights seem to summon flying insects from the sky, so the best way to avoid this is to minimise your usage of your pool's lights.  Sure, you shouldn't have to swim in total darkness, but don't forget to turn that pool light off when you're done. If you tend to forget to do this, install a programmable timer switch.

Use a pool cover

When dead insects in your pool are a major, ongoing problem, you can always cut off their access to the water by installing a pool cover with its own roller system for quick rolling and unrolling. 

Change the landscaping

You also need to look beyond the actual pool. Think about upgrading your nearby landscaping to feature plants that are known to repel insects. Many of these plants are herbs too, so your efforts to keep insects at bay can also spill over to your kitchen. 

The existing plants

If you want to keep your existing plants, be sure that they're appropriately pruned, making it difficult for crawling insects to fall in the water from overhanging foliage.

Keeping insects out of your pool involves a multi-pronged attack, and you should incorporate this into your regular pool care schedule. If you need help with the best chemical approach, an upgrade for your skimmer box or even a pool cover, please get in touch with our friendly team.