Endless small bugs in pool

[neiltg]

Hey everyone. Searched a few threads and the only bugs I can see in older posts are much smaller than these. these are more like gnats, but kind of long.

Been having some nice weather and wanting to turn the pool heater on and get in it, but every day when I go to chck on the pool, it's got a ton of these small bugs in it. they're not clumping together - on the main pool surface, they're evenly spread across it all with one every square inch. it's bizzare, and makes it very difficult to net them up.

We're in North georgia, in woodstock.

This is our third year of pool ownership and i've never seen them before.
So:
What are they?
How do I stop this?

I have some talstar-p which I use every 30 days in summer around the grass/plants to control mosquitos, I havent put any down yet, but would that help? Any other products?
Pool chemicals are well balanced - FC 3.5, pH 7.5
I really hope they're not coming from the trees we have behind the house - we have a bunch of tall trees behind the fence that do loom over our pool (makes for a lot of work in fall)

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Look up springtails. I've been battling them for several years using Talstar P which, on its own, has been ineffective. This year, I followed a recommendation by @Katodude and used Talstar P combined with Acephate 97 (Orthene 97.4% from Amazon). I've seen no springtails yet.

 

[neiltg]

Look up springtails. I've been battling them for several years using Talstar P which, on its own, has been ineffective. This year, I followed a recommendation by @Katodude and used Talstar P combined with Acephate 97 (Orthene 97.4% from Amazon). I've seen no springtails yet.

Thanks!
So you spray all around the yard, planting & mulch areas? lawns too?
Do you add the powder to the talstar mix and spray them together? How much per gallon of mixed?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

My property is too large to spray it all. I only sprayed around the perimeter of the pool area. I used approximately one ounce by volume per gallon and mixed it with the Talstar P in a 4-gallon backpack sprayer. Just a warning, the acephate smells bad, even in the container. Store the container in an outdoor shed or garage. The smell will go away after a couple weeks.

 

[Katodude]

Always read the label. I use the turfgrass rate which will be around 1oz per gallon which is the same rate I use for Bifen (the ingredient in Talstar). Tank mix the two. Each gallon should cover 1000 sq ft. Spray as much area as you can. Mulch, grass, deck, etc. Springtails come from moist areas so make sure you get those.

Mixing Acephate with Bifen has a synergistic effect. If I have something hard to kill that is my go to mix. I try not to use it often, but because it is so effective I dont have to. It’s been a year since I have sprayed that mix.

 

[ol_whistle_britches]

If you’re treating broad areas outdoors I highly recommend you go with a granule based insecticide. A granule will be easier to spread and may last a little longer. Bifenthrin (talstar) or demand G (lambda cyhalothrin) or deltagard (deltamethrin) would all be in my lineup. Springtails are on-label for permethrin too.

Demand G Insecticide Granules

Demand G Insecticide Granules

www.domyown.com

Bifen L/P Insecticide Granules

Bifen L/P Insecticide Granules

www.domyown.com

DeltaGard G Granules

DeltaGard G Granules

www.domyown.com

If you have used bifen in the past regularly, switch it up. Deltagard G is formulated with a water dispersible carrier granule, which is supposed to support its absorption into the underlying soil. In theory this leads to a faster knockdown. The Bifen LP I linked I chose specifically because it has a sand carrier, which stays in place better over time. This is nice because bifen has a much longer (60-90 day) treatment residual.

Domyown has GREAT target pest guides. They’re relatively expensive compared to others, but I like to order from them if I used one of their pest guides. Their phone support is A1+++ rated too (by me).
Springtail pest guide

Notice the part that says to figure out where they’re living/getting water. That’s usually the most important part for bugs. Food and water. Just like in Men In Black.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

If you’re treating broad areas outdoors I highly recommend you go with a granule based insecticide. A granule will be easier to spread and may last a little longer. Bifenthrin (talstar) or demand G (lambda cyhalothrin) or deltagard (deltamethrin) would all be in my lineup. Springtails are on-label for permethrin too.

Demand G Insecticide Granules

Demand G Insecticide Granules

www.domyown.com

Bifen L/P Insecticide Granules

Bifen L/P Insecticide Granules

www.domyown.com

DeltaGard G Granules

DeltaGard G Granules

www.domyown.com

If you have used bifen in the past regularly, switch it up. Deltagard G is formulated with a water dispersible carrier granule, which is supposed to support its absorption into the underlying soil. In theory this leads to a faster knockdown. The Bifen LP I linked I chose specifically because it has a sand carrier, which stays in place better over time. This is nice because bifen has a much longer (60-90 day) treatment residual.

Domyown has GREAT target pest guides. They’re relatively expensive compared to others, but I like to order from them if I used one of their pest guides. Their phone support is A1+++ rated too (by me).
Springtail pest guide

Notice the part that says to figure out where they’re living/getting water. That’s usually the most important part for bugs. Food and water. Just like in Men In Black.

All good advice, but the mixture of bifen and Demand G granules did not work for me after several attempts. I'm going to stick with what works after fighting these insects for the past several years.

 

[Katodude]

If you have used bifen in the past regularly, switch it up. Deltagard G is formulated with a water dispersible carrier granule, which is supposed to support its absorption into the underlying soil. In theory this leads to a faster knockdown. The Bifen LP I linked I chose specifically because it has a sand carrier, which stays in place better over time. This is nice because bifen has a much longer (60-90 day) treatment residual.

Using any of these is not switching it up. All are Group 3 insecticides and use the MOA.

Acephate is a group 1 and any synthetic pyrethroids are group 3. The combination of these two separate insecticides has a synergistic effect.

Springtails are a difficult beast. And now you have a large control group of 2 people that have used this mixture effectively. So it must be good. That and a University of Florida article that talks about this.

 

[ol_whistle_britches]

All good advice, but the mixture of bifen and Demand G granules did not work for me after several attempts. I'm going to stick with what works after fighting these insects for the past several years.

I mean to each his own… when you gotta nuke, you gotta nuke. Find what works. I was under the initial impression that OP (and your first comment) were spray-applications, which is why I thought to mention the granules.

I’m fighting this nasty painful big black South American ant right now. My pest control buddies keep talking about good insects and bad insects, and I’m all for all of God’s little creatures and such, but Mrs. Whistle_Britches is going to tan my hide if one of those ants get ahold of my one of my 3 children. I’m fixing to go defcon 1 down here.

 

[Katodude]

You want to take care of ants, use Fipronil. Once application should handle them for a season.

 

[ol_whistle_britches]

You want to take care of ants, use Fipronil. Once application should handle them for a season.

Already went there in January. And imidacloprid last month. I like fipronil, so I’m thinking about a follow up treatment in the areas I’m still seeing a them.

Regarding your previous, agree that bifen/delta/cyhalothrin/permethrin are all pyrethroids sharing an MOA. There is a type 1 / type 2 difference between those, but I going back and rereading my previous, I can see where you’re coming from and grant you your point. Poorly worded on my part and a case of think too fast, type too fast. I have no problem with your synergistic mix and I’ll believe you when you say it works. Springtails aren’t a pest I have to deal with. Makes all the sense in the world though.

Running through my mind: I didn’t see springtails listed on-label in either of the acephate labels I looked at. Acephate is known to smell and is water soluble. OP hadn’t said bifen (and its MOA) wasn’t working for him…

Can you point me to the UF article? This is the only one I’ve found so far. https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/download/138168/143362/272027

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

And now you have a large control group of 2 people that have used this mixture effectively. So it must be good.

This is all the proof I need

 

[Katodude]

So I need to look for that article, but in full disclosure it was around a treatment for whitefly which is another pest I have to deal with much more than springtails. They talked about the synergistic effect and I used it for a whitefly treatment and it worked incredibly well.

Long story short I got a springtail infestation months later remembering that Bifen alone did a poor job. I figured that since that mix worked great on whitefly it might work on springtails. I tried it out and voila, one and done treatment.

So that is how we got here.

 

[ol_whistle_britches]

I was working up a whitefly go-to-war solution last week for a palm tree in my dad’s yard down the street. Alas, it was just freeze burn from our 3 day winter.

I’m starting to understand bifen a lot more. When I started learning about pesticides I used to think it was a cheap bygone “old school” product, but I’ve come to respect it. It becomes a pretty powerful base layer as part of a larger mixture/strategy, as you’ve shared. And it’s cheap…

Now that you’ve got me thinking about it, one of the things that we could also try sometime instead of acephate would be malathion. Both are organophosphates, and while don’t have much history using those, I do seem to remember that orthene granules were kinda expensive the last time I looked and had some really nasty health effects. Malathion I know can be found at HD and garden stores fairly easily on a Saturday morning. Bifen granules could be laid down and then immediately watered in with the malathion via garden hose sprayer for a similar synergistic effect. Food for thought.

 

[Katodude]

I dont want to hijack the OP’s thread. This is about killing springtails for which we have given him a working solution.

If you want to have a deeper discussion around pest control I suggest you start a thread in TLF under their pest control section. You will get a lot of great advice there.

 

[neiltg]

I appreciate the discussion this caused - i've been reading all the links this morning.
About to go spray my talstar / acephate mix, i'll update in a few days!

 

[suzook]

I appreciate the discussion this caused - i've been reading all the links this morning.
About to go spray my talstar / acephate mix, i'll update in a few days!

Must be an issue in ATL this year. I am south of ATL, and noticed these all around the edge of my liner last evening after the rain. At 1st I thought it was pollen, but then noticed them moving into round clusters. Guess its time to get the backpack sprayer out. Last year we had a horrible armyworm/moth infestation, now this. GA sucks for bugs.
@neiltg Although looking at your pic, your friends look bigger. Mine are super tiny, like the size of a tiny coffee grain.