bugs in my skimmer

[mjc123]

Anyone else having issues with bugs in their skimmer? I use socks in my skimmer basket, and even one night is enough to have a fairly disgusting amount of millipedes, centipedes, spiders and sow/pill bugs stuck inside. So much so that there's been more than once where I ended up throwing the basket because something crawled onto my hand when I lifted it out to empty it *shudders at the thought*

Is this a common problem? or am I alone here/

 

[Razorhog]

Not uncommon. I see a lot of spiders in there and I just know at least one of them is still alive and will burst into motion the second I pull the basket out of the water...happens almost every time. I've been getting a lot of earthworms in the pool due to all the rain we've had, but they sink to the bottom ;/

 

[Divin Dave]

Spiders and June bugs for me. Tons and Tons of them.
And here is how to cure the fright of sticking your hand down in there. These will change your life.

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[Rocket J Squirrel]

Is there anyone who doesn't get bugs in the skimmer?

I also had tons of pill bugs in my spa every day despite having a pool cover. There is no skimmer in the spa, and of course the Polaris can't get in there, so there the bugs lay, at the bottom, requiring hand vacuuming each and every time I wanted to use the spa. Then one day, an exterminator knocked on my door looking for business. I gave them a try, and amazingly enough, no more pill bugs. I don't like poison much, but it made such a big difference, they now come quarterly and spray, and my bug load is way down.

There are a couple of gadgets available, the Skimmer Angel and the LIDZ Off. I wonder whether any folks here use them and like them?

 

[Divin Dave]

I use the skimmer angel and absolutely love that thing. I totally recommend getting one unless you use skimmer socks. You can't use a skimmer angle with skimmer socks.

Is there anyone who doesn't get bugs in the skimmer?

I also had tons of pill bugs in my spa every day despite having a pool cover. There is no skimmer in the spa, and of course the Polaris can't get in there, so there the bugs lay, at the bottom, requiring hand vacuuming each and every time I wanted to use the spa. Then one day, an exterminator knocked on my door looking for business. I gave them a try, and amazingly enough, no more pill bugs. I don't like poison much, but it made such a big difference, they now come quarterly and spray, and my bug load is way down.

There are a couple of gadgets available, the Skimmer Angel and the LIDZ Off. I wonder whether any folks here use them and like them?

 

[mjc123]

yeah, I really like using the socks, I find they catch a lot that would pass through the basket. I like the idea of those aquarium gloves though! Speaking of critters in my skimmer, today there was the largest spotted salamander I've ever seen - every bit of 8" long and 1" wide - similar to this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jHU8RNYRp...acility,+Adams+Co.,+OH+March+1,+2012+(57).JPG

 

[Divin Dave]

Those aquarium gloves are great. I use em when netting stuff out when the water is still cold . No more cold wet hands and cold pole . And I dont have to worry about being bit by a spider in the skimmer any more either. Ive been bitten by them twice.

 

[the_sphynx]

I have been fighting a springtail infestation for about a month so pretty much every day after the pump stops, the skimmer basket (I use socks) is pretty much disgusting. 90% are dead but the remaining 10% of whatever critters I see some kicking around...good times. Definitely the worst about owning a pool is cleaning out the skimmer basket. Well, and occasionally having to toss the dead mouse/frog/whatever that is sitting at the bottom of the pool before the robot gets it.

 

[jorowan]

I just discovered a bunch of circles of what I think are springtails floating in my pool—out of the blue they appeared! YUCK!!!. What do I do? Will chlorine take care of it?

 

[koht]

Wait until you open it up and find a snake coiled up hissing at you. That thing made a grown man run like crazy. I have lots of dead moles lately. I am up to 14 now. There cant be anymore in my yard, at least I keep thinking.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

Yeah, I have to say, snakes are the worst as far as skimmer baskets go.

Although for my money, nothing quite beats the baby snapping turtles on your steps, that hiss at you and give off a terrible smell as you carry them to the creek that feeds your lake...

 

[koht]

Once had a muskrat in the pool. Had to get that sucker out with a snow shovel. I never knew muskrats hiss.

 

[markayash]

I added a froglog to my pool..Hoping they ca find it and get out..Felt bad when I found a dead baby squirrel in it one morning

 

[RMcGirr83]

I sprinkled diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of the pool and that greatly decreased the amount of bugs that get into it now.

 

[the_sphynx]

jorowan,
Hard to tell if they are springtails but that is what they do to you...join together in a circle over time. They all end up dying by the morning but it is disgusting.

Only in the last week have I I NOT had thousands and thousands of these things in my pool in the morning. Here is a linked article for how to deal with them but in the end, I wouldn't really want to wish my "invasion" on my worst enemy as these things are pretty much immune to pesticides/insecticides since the new science tells us they aren't considered insects anymore. That's a 2+ month battle...

There are two things that I think shows promise.
1. Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade) like RMcGirr83 mentions above. Sprinkle lots of it around the edges of your pool deck and house where you have hardscape up against your house. Use a light broom to spread it loosely around.
2. Spread bifen granules all over your yard & then use cedarcide concentrate or Cyonara RTS to water it in.

The key is treat outside and if they make it inside then you can try to keep them at bay but it's important to know that the problem will start and have to end outside first before the ones inside go away.

Like I said, the last week for me has been a great reprieve but I think the reason they have almost disappeared for me is the fact that we had a few really hot/dry days (like mid-90s) and the pool death toll since then has gone down drastically!

Good luck with your springtail problem and I really hope you have a short-lived issue!

 

[mjc123]

I've never had springtails (never even heard of them - I guess they don't live around here?) but I've definitely had frogs, salamanders, voles/mice, and several snakes. Luckily none of our snakes are poisonous or really dangerous in any way, but can still surprise you when you're not expecting it! Found this guy last year:

Eastern Ring Neck Snake

• mjc123
• Aug 8, 2018

 

[Wobblerlorri]

I like snakes but NOT in my skimmer basket! SOOOOOO glad my new pool is AGP. Don't have to deal with vertebrate wildlife in the skimmer basket!

 

[Divin Dave]

as far as snakes go, that's a good lookin one!

I've never had springtails (never even heard of them - I guess they don't live around here?) but I've definitely had frogs, salamanders, voles/mice, and several snakes. Luckily none of our snakes are poisonous or really dangerous in any way, but can still surprise you when you're not expecting it! Found this guy last year:

Eastern Ring Neck Snake

• mjc123
• Aug 8, 2018

 

[RMcGirr83]

Shot and killed a rattlesnake in the backyard a few nights ago. It was about 6' long and I got to use my new "snake charmer".

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[BowserB]

I don't know how I could use the Skimmer Angel with my Pentair Bermuda skimmers and Amazon hairnet skimmer socks. The design of the skimmer is such that the handle, unless removed, must be inside the sock. I use a kind of oversize strainer to skim any floating debris inside the skimmer compartment, then use one of the tabs to lift out the skimmer without tearing the hairnet/sock, for cleaning and return. See attached pic. The stone is to keep the skimmer and sock from floating up when the pump is off. I usually get 4-5 days out of a hairnet before it has to be replaced. Note: Everything here I learned from this site.