Black Flee-like Pest in the Pool

[kevinsandiego]

Anyone know how to kill these tiny black flea-like pest that are investing my pool? From what I gather on Google, they might be springtails, but I am not sure. They seem to cluster and float on the surface of the pool and they hop around. They reproduce, astonishingly fast. I live in San Diego, CA. I think they first infested my pool after installing new sod in the backyard 4 months ago. I was watering every day for a few week, and noticed them in my pool. No matter how hard I try to get rid of them, they keep coming back. There are millions of them in my pool. I’ve tried everything. I net with a fine mesh net every day which collects most of them, although some get through because they are that small. Then, I put the net in a 30 gallon barrel and spray them with white vinegar, which seems to kill them on direct contact, and then I rinse them off into the barrel. I do this every single day, and when my pool shuts off around 4 PM thousands more start clustering around the corners mostly and along the sides. I tried adding 2 gallons of chlorine per week, then 4 gallons, and the chlorine did not phase them. I tried adding 6 gallons of white vinegar to the pool and that didn’t work. I tried chlorine and yellow H, and we phosphate shock the pool every week or two, and that doesn’t work. Phosphate level is zero so there’s nothing they can feed on. I’ve tried adding 20 to 30 ounces of dish soap to sink them, and they are back a day or 2 later. No matter what I do, they keep coming back. If I wait two or three days without netting them, there are tens of thousands of them clustering around the pool. I am not sure how they keep coming back. We have been getting intermittent rain, but they do not seem to be following the rain cycle. Does anyone know how to get rid of them for good? Temperature has been 50 to 65° and they seem to like the cold water. I wish it was hotter and I could heat my pool to 100° without costing a fortune to see if I can kill them that way. None of the chemicals in the pool phase them. They only die when in direct contact with white vinegar. Somehow they form a barrier and float on the surface of the pool and are impervious to the pool conditions. They are an extreme nuisance.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Adding Dawn dish soap to the pool every other day seems to be the best way to keep the bugs under control.

How to kill springtails!!!???

So, after 2 days of rain I have a zillion jumping microscopic wheat colored critters covering the pool. Perhaps the 2 mo old sod (which didn't take) is a breeding ground...or maybe the overflow exit...the deck drain is also only about 8 feet away from the pool...in any event I can't use my pool...

www.troublefreepool.com

How to get rid of springtails in a non-chlorinated pool?

Hi, Never had this problem before, but recently we had a (previously bare) large area near the pool regraded, loads of soil added, seeded, straw over the top, etc. And now, the pool is loaded with these bugs. I'm thinking it has to be a connection with the landscaping project. In particular...

www.troublefreepool.com

Google search results

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Bperry]

Anyone know how to kill these tiny black flea-like pest that are investing my pool? From what I gather on Google, they might be springtails, but I am not sure. They seem to cluster and float on the surface of the pool and they hop around. They reproduce, astonishingly fast. I live in San Diego, CA. I think they first infested my pool after installing new sod in the backyard 4 months ago. I was watering every day for a few week, and noticed them in my pool. No matter how hard I try to get rid of them, they keep coming back. There are millions of them in my pool. I’ve tried everything. I net with a fine mesh net every day which collects most of them, although some get through because they are that small. Then, I put the net in a 30 gallon barrel and spray them with white vinegar, which seems to kill them on direct contact, and then I rinse them off into the barrel. I do this every single day, and when my pool shuts off around 4 PM thousands more start clustering around the corners mostly and along the sides. I tried adding 2 gallons of chlorine per week, then 4 gallons, and the chlorine did not phase them. I tried adding 6 gallons of white vinegar to the pool and that didn’t work. I tried chlorine and yellow H, and we phosphate shock the pool every week or two, and that doesn’t work. Phosphate level is zero so there’s nothing they can feed on. I’ve tried adding 20 to 30 ounces of dish soap to sink them, and they are back a day or 2 later. No matter what I do, they keep coming back. If I wait two or three days without netting them, there are tens of thousands of them clustering around the pool. I am not sure how they keep coming back. We have been getting intermittent rain, but they do not seem to be following the rain cycle. Does anyone know how to get rid of them for good? Temperature has been 50 to 65° and they seem to like the cold water. I wish it was hotter and I could heat my pool to 100° without costing a fortune to see if I can kill them that way. None of the chemicals in the pool phase them. They only die when in direct contact with white vinegar. Somehow they form a barrier and float on the surface of the pool and are impervious to the pool conditions. They are an extreme nuisance.

Are you testing the water yourself with a known good test kit? Knowing whether the water is sanitized appropriately is a good first step. Dumping in random stuff like that can damage things.

Here’s a link to TFP recommended test kits.

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why not use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!

www.troublefreepool.com

I’d also consider running the pool pump 24x7 if that’s an option. If you have a variable speed pump running at low speed 24x7 is often cheaper than running high speed for shorter periods of time.

 

[JamesW]

[UPDATE] When even the "Experts" don't listen to their own advice ...

I kinda knew this was going to happen but decided to do it anyway ... You can see my PoolMath logs for the latest test results. I added an 8oz start up dose of SKILL-IT algaecide (BioDex) to see if it would help with wasp control. We have mud-daubers (paper wasps) around here and they...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mgtfp]

I wouldn't add vinegar to a pool.

Apart from that, above suggestions from JamesW and ajw22 are probably your best hopes.

 

[Katodude]

I dont know that the OP is paying attention anymore, but in any case here is my advice.

Treating the pool is treating the symptom not the cause. You will never get rid of springtails that way. The springtails are most likely coming from the grass, or some other organic moist area where they live. You will need to spray that with an insecticide.

My new go to mixture for springtails is Bifen and Acephate. About 1oz of each per 1000 sq feet. I had a bad infestation about a couple of months ago and one spray of that took care of it.