Swimming Pool Bugs - What Are They and How Can I Get Rid of Them?

Besides chemical maintenance and other water problems that plague pool owners every year, having swimming pool bugs occurs more frequently than most would think. They are a nuisance and can be difficult to take care of, even though there are products that claim to get rid of them easily. But there is a more natural way to do it, costing less money, and making your pool cleaner.

The two most common swimming pool bugs are Waterboatman and Backswimmers. For both of these insects the best way to eliminate them and prevent them from returning is by removing their food source. This is true for most pests. If there's nothing to eat they'll move on to a better place to find food.

Waterboatman are oval shaped and small. They don't bite, but can cause your water to become really dirty. They also have a tendency of reproducing fairly quickly so if they're not taken care of fast, they will become a much larger problem. They feed off of underwater vegetation such as algae. If you are fighting with waterboatmen, chances are very good that you have an algae problem somewhere in the pool.

By treating your algae problem, or other vegetation growth you can get rid of waterboatmen fairly quickly.

Backswimmers also hang around because of a food source. They do bite, and can hurt as much as a bee sting. Again removing their food source will get rid of them and keep them away.

Backswimmers feed on other water insects, such as waterboatmen. So in order to get rid of them, you must first address the other insect problem.

Another thing to note is that both of these swimming pool bugs lay their eggs in underwater vegetation. So not only are you removing a food source, you will also be destroying their breeding ground.

Swimming pool bugs come about because of poor pool maintenance. Don't beat yourself up over it, however. In most cases, you're given bad advice from pool "experts" that are really out there to get you to buy more chemicals and equipment that can be unnecessary.

That's why I highly recommend you invest in a swimming pool maintenance guide. These guides will not only teach you how to properly maintain a pool yourself, they will save you thousands every year by teaching you tips and tricks that those same pool experts don't want you to know about.

Frank is the author of Swimming Pool Maintenance, a blog dedicated to helping pool owners get the most out of their pools!