Hey guys. Let me qualify this by saying I live in a rural area. I have a small, slow river meandering through my property. My neighbor has a large pond which is ~500 feet away from my pool. The area around our house is pretty tree free, with a couple of wild areas within 100ft of the pool.
I had a lot of problems last year with boatmen and back swimmers. As my CYA got sky high, and the chlorine's effectiveness dropped, I fought black algae, and I think that attracted boatmen, which in turn attracted backswimmers.
This year, findingTFP, learning, and keeping my chlorine in the target range, I've had no issues with algae. And until a week ago had no boatman or backswimmers. However, my pool is a magnet for bugs. I routinely hand skim a lot of them. So I think this has attracted backswimmers. I can't tell difference very well between boatmen or backswimmers. But I assume they are backswimmers because my CC has remained at .5 or zero.My water is crystal clear. I've kept my FC no less than 10ppm (I am still lowering my CYA, currently ~120, over time due to water issues and not being able to drain and fill).
The only thing I can think of is that the other bugs attract the backswimmers. I had been skimming out 2-3 backswimmers each evening for about the last week, and squishing them. On Tuesday, I pulled about 6 out, and killed them. Last evening there were none. I know the pool attracts other bug eaters (spiders, toads and frogs), so I think that is what I am dealing with.
I know I've read a lot of threads, and other than skimming and squashing there isn't a whole lot you can do. I guess some algeacides will kill them (the kind that leave a film on top of the water, but I am leery of that approach since I do not want copper in my water. Other than building a building over my pool, any other thoughts?
I had a lot of problems last year with boatmen and back swimmers. As my CYA got sky high, and the chlorine's effectiveness dropped, I fought black algae, and I think that attracted boatmen, which in turn attracted backswimmers.
This year, findingTFP, learning, and keeping my chlorine in the target range, I've had no issues with algae. And until a week ago had no boatman or backswimmers. However, my pool is a magnet for bugs. I routinely hand skim a lot of them. So I think this has attracted backswimmers. I can't tell difference very well between boatmen or backswimmers. But I assume they are backswimmers because my CC has remained at .5 or zero.My water is crystal clear. I've kept my FC no less than 10ppm (I am still lowering my CYA, currently ~120, over time due to water issues and not being able to drain and fill).
The only thing I can think of is that the other bugs attract the backswimmers. I had been skimming out 2-3 backswimmers each evening for about the last week, and squishing them. On Tuesday, I pulled about 6 out, and killed them. Last evening there were none. I know the pool attracts other bug eaters (spiders, toads and frogs), so I think that is what I am dealing with.
I know I've read a lot of threads, and other than skimming and squashing there isn't a whole lot you can do. I guess some algeacides will kill them (the kind that leave a film on top of the water, but I am leery of that approach since I do not want copper in my water. Other than building a building over my pool, any other thoughts?