Bugs...

McLovitz · Jul 6, 2020

Ugh, just came out after a thunderstorm and found a whole lot of these tiny bugs congregating in the pool. Any idea what causes this and how I get rid of them? I had turned the pump off during the storm but just turned it back on.

Chlorine level has remained high but is it possible we're getting algae growth in the pool they're feeding off?

Any suggestions appreciated.

YippeeSkippy · Jul 6, 2020

From recent threads here those are ants. Scoop 'em out with your net and up the FC a bit.

YippeeSkippy · Jul 7, 2020

actually the more I look at the pic, they almost look like maggots?? same treatment, but huh!??

McLovitz · Jul 7, 2020

Really crazy. Disappeared after a skimming with net, cleaning skimmer, brush and vacuum. Salt cell now running at 100% overnight. Hopefully gone in the morning never to return.

duvalman · Jul 8, 2020

My guess would be ant eggs. Maybe the rain caused the ants to clear out the eggs from wherever they were stored. No idea how they wound up on the surface of your pool, though.

Rancho Cost-a-Lotta · Jul 8, 2020

They are most likely springtails. They live in moist garden and mulch areas around the pool and are tough to get rid of. They don't fly. You'll probably see them walking across the deck and jumping into the pool. Look close; they are very tiny. Once in the pool, they drown.

tank47 · Jul 14, 2020

McLovitz! I just posted a similar thread and was doing research and find you are having what looks like the same problem! Maybe our builder planted these to continue to harass us lol! I haven't found a solid remedy yet....are you brushing the pool regularly or do you rely on the robot? I wasn't brushing all that much and noticed these first in the corners of my pool plus we just had a ton of rain the last week that may have brought these critters out.

McLovitz · Jul 20, 2020

tank47 said:
McLovitz! I just posted a similar thread and was doing research and find you are having what looks like the same problem! Maybe our builder planted these to continue to harass us lol! I haven't found a solid remedy yet....are you brushing the pool regularly or do you rely on the robot? I wasn't brushing all that much and noticed these first in the corners of my pool plus we just had a ton of rain the last week that may have brought these critters out.

Same thing -- they live in the corners and come out in the rain. I have been brushing roughly once a week and I need to stay on top of it. Since you're having them too, I think I'll just refer to them as "John Bugs" and assume he planted them there.