Water bugs...

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H

Hermskii

0
Jun 13, 2014
41
TX
This year I have found four different types of water bugs in my pool. I have identified several of them.

1. Water Boatman (3 of them)
2. Water Scorpions (1 of them)
3. Water Striders (3 of them)
4. Some little black dots 1/4 to 1/2 the size of a dog flea that stay on or near the surface but can swim.

It there a certain level of FC that will ensure no water-bugs are ever found in the pool?

Here are my water specs:

FC: 5.0
CC: 0.0
pH: 7.6
TA: 70
CYA: 70
Salt: 3,100
Borates: 40
CH: 60

I couldn't ask for better water conditions so I'm shocked that I ever find any living bug in the pool water. I was skimming them out and throwing them into the yard. I started killing them today to keep them from flying back into the pool since that is how they get into the pool in the first place based on what I have read and learned. My water is always perfectly clear and my pool is kept perfectly clean all of the time. My water conditions are usually what I have displayed above.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
 
You will occasionally find some bugs in the pool even when it is managed properly. It happens to everyone-myself included. Your numbers look fine and you also have some borates in there which is another bug deterrent. If you live near a source of water (lake, bayou, etc.) your location may just be more susceptible to bugs than others.
 
If you "crack the code" on bugs in the pool, please let me know. I just went for another evening swim, and the Wolf spiders are always around. Scorpions all the time too, but they are not good swimmers. :) Casualties of the deep. Several other insects as well. Thank goodness my skimmer sock does a good job. :)
 
I do use a pool store bought product (gasp), Bioguard's Back Up, for the boatman. Those boogers bite! I have had a lot of them (like 30) at a time, one of my biggest problems! The problem with boatman is they rely on creating an invisible air pocket around them to breath. When the surface tension of the water is changed (not a chemist...), they can no longer form that bubble.

This is a little sicko, but it has brought me great pleasure....I have captured them in my net, and placed them in a clear bowl with a few drops of dish soap stirred up in it. Those boatman die!

Since I am only using this product for water surface tension, I do not use the amount it calls for, and I add it when I notice issues. This product works for all those critters who think they will sit in the top of your water.

This summer we hired a pest control person because we have a spider invasion in our house. He sprayed the yard too. I think that has helped with the boatman too.

******caution*******
This product does cause some mild foaming at waterfalls, another reason to not use as much as it calls for. However, it is worth it to me. I am embarrassed to have people swimming in my pool with the boatman, it would feel equivalent to having roaches in my house and guests over!








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I went back to the pool and skimmed one out of the water. I then got a teaspoon and got it with a drop water and poured it out onto my white formica kitchen counter top. I snapped some shots and have attached them here. As you can see they are definitely tiny, shiny, hard shelled beetles. They can live out of the water but seem to prefer being in the water. They can crawl, swim and jump. I think they prefer to hang out just beneath the water surface on the sides of the pool.

1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg

Yesterday I was in the water trying to determine what they were. I tried to get some to cling to me, bite me or sting me. They wanted nothing to do with me at all. They seem totally harmless. I added lots of chlorine last night to see if it would kill or deter them from staying in the pool. I checked this morning and still found several swimming around.

I am in Houston AKA "The Bayou City" and we did just finish with all of that rain and massive flooding last week. I'm hoping this small infestation is somehow the result of that or some sort of seasonal thing. Maybe it is what others here have said about being close to water sources that attract this stuff. I have a neighbor behind me that lets their pool go back to nature every year until summer. They did just get it all cleaned up and swim ready this last week. Maybe all these critters are just looking for the next closest place to live.

I'm also grateful to hear that these critters happen to other people too sometimes. I'll continue to try to get even better pictures as I get the chance. Thanks all for your feedback!
 
OK, I got a few more close ups.

1. Water Boatsman in a glass:

Water Boatman in a glass.jpg

2. Same Water Boatsman on kitchen countertop formica:

Same Water Boatman on Formica.jpg

3.What is this little tiny beetle? This one is about 3 times bigger than the one in the picture with the dime but is the exact same kind.

What is this.jpg
 

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I find these atrocities regularly in my skimmer basket in the morning!! I always knock before opening (I have found a baby water moccasin in there too) lol!! This Mama has about 100 babies on her back..... yuck!!

 
We have some water bugs too. I've heard that adding 50 ppm borates helps. We have bugs and borates. But, we got a TON of rain last spring which overflowed and diluted out about half the borates. When I added more it seemed like the bugs got better.
 
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