Our above ground pool was installed late August 2020 in northern Nebraska. Took a while for the water to clear. Now we cannot keep backswimmers out of the pool. Dozens in skimmer every couple of hours and more being manually skimmed daily. I'm talking thousands of them. We've been vigilant about keeping the pool as clean as possible and I'm almost sure we have no algae but the backswimmers continue to infest our pool. Has anyone had and solved this problem effectively.?
Backswimmer Infestation
- Thread starter Laker
- Start date
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
Welcome to TFP 
1 or 2 cups of dawn liquid soap depending on the size of pool. I started at 1 cup the first day and added another cup the next day and they were all gone by day 3
Stick around and check the rest of the site out
www.troublefreepool.com
1 or 2 cups of dawn liquid soap depending on the size of pool. I started at 1 cup the first day and added another cup the next day and they were all gone by day 3
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Pool School
www.troublefreepool.com
We are currently trying the dawn solution to kill them. But how do we keep them away?
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
I have no idea.... I get them about 1 or 2 times a year... once I see 3 or 4 the dawn comes out
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Scrub the sides of your pool. They must be laying eggs in the pool above the waterline. and brushing will disrupt the eggs and allow the filter to suck them up.
oh, BTW welcome to the Forum!
oh, BTW welcome to the Forum!
Last edited:
- Jul 24, 2017
- 86
- Pool Size
- 8400
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Yes. With numbers like the OP is seeing, his pool is likely a Backswimmer nursery. They are there to eat something. A SLAM may be needed.
Thanks but we've slammed a couple times since they first started. Gone for a day or so then right back. Could our slam not be effective?
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
You need to disrupt their nursery... somewhere they are laying eggs that are able to repopulate your pool after you have SLAMed.
I also want to mention that we've seen very few other bugs such as boatman. So it seems as though they shouldn't have much food to stick around for.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Google around and read up on the lifecycle of back swimmers. Apparently the are cannibalistic.. so they don't need any algae.. just other back swimmers. 
so they don't need any algae.. just other back swimmers. We also live about a 1/4 mile from a pond with mostly standing water. So I'm sure that's where the come from.
We had them right after opening our new pool in July. Not the extent that you have but we have a lake/pool maybe 150 yards from our house. I thought the same thing but once we were up and running they stopped showing up 2-3 weeks later.
We added over a cup of dish soap this afternoon. The backswimmers that were in the pool have died and the pool is currently completely free of them. But I have a few questions about this solution.
1. Why does this work? I understand that altering the surface tension kills the existing bugs, but does it also repel others from coming in? Or does it simply kill all the prey in the pool making it less attractive?
2. If backswimmers continue to be an issue, should dish soap be added to our weekly chemical list?
3. Is there any risk or side effect of using dish soap on a weekly basis or even more often if necessary?
1. Why does this work? I understand that altering the surface tension kills the existing bugs, but does it also repel others from coming in? Or does it simply kill all the prey in the pool making it less attractive?
2. If backswimmers continue to be an issue, should dish soap be added to our weekly chemical list?
3. Is there any risk or side effect of using dish soap on a weekly basis or even more often if necessary?
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
1. It works because they can not get the air to stay around there body because the surface tension is gone and they drown...
2. only use when you see more than a handful
3. no harm but it can build up and start to have bubbles in the pool, ask me how I know LOL... I put in a bit much once and had a bubble bath for a couple days
2. only use when you see more than a handful
3. no harm but it can build up and start to have bubbles in the pool, ask me how I know LOL... I put in a bit much once and had a bubble bath for a couple days
Our last infestation of backswimmers was eliminated by the dawn treatment. That was Tuesday of this week. Last night (Friday) they came back with a vengeance. Started with maybe a dozen at 5pm and by 6 we had thousands. Again we were able to get rid of them with the dish soap and about 3 hours of constant skimming. As we were skimming, we noticed a lot of dead boatman. We're resigned to the fact that we have an unseeable algae problem. Soybean harvest is in full swing here so there is a lot of dust and debris in the air and a lot of beetles landing in the water. Would backswimmers be attracted to beetles too? We just received our TF-100 kit today and plan to SLAM soon. Attached pic is of the bottom of our pool this morning. Light powdery substance that we can't seem to get rid of by vacuuming. Any help with what this is? Dead algae? If so, what kind?
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
If you are seeing that many backswimmers showing up in your pool that fast they must be nesting someplace near or in your pool. Maybe if you Dawn soap a couple of generations you will kill off however is keep those nests going. Its my understand they put the eggs just above the water line. You haven't seen anything like that on the sides of you pool just before the outbreak?
No. We haven't seen any eggs. We could see a lot of them flying in. We have a pond that is currently full of algae about 1/4 mile from our pool.
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
That is crazzy, thousands.... I have at most had 20 or so and they do not come back for months.... that has to be a sight of 1500 dead boatman being skimmed out of the pool... 
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Are there trees overhanging your pool? a number in the thousands sounds crazy if they are migrating in... then there must be millions in that pond.