Water boatmen, wife got stung/bit

[spidey07]

Sorry to be blunt, but she got bit on her lady parts. I flushed heavily with vinegar. She has a very high pain tolerance and it about brought her to her knees. Said it felt like a wasp sting.

What I don't understand is I just went through SLAM and yet these tiny guys are still in the water. I'm not sure exact species but they are 2-3mm and carry air bubble with them when they dive.

FC 12 (coming off slam)
CYA 70 (high, I know)
TA 140

Water is crystal clear. How the heck did these things survive the SLAM?

 

[kimkats]

They are unreal! That bubble is what protects them from the FC.

Here is what we did:
-used a leaf net to get as many out as we could and crunch them or they will flip back into the pool
-FC to just under SLAM level so you can get in the pool to help
-more netting to get them out

Good luck and hope your wife is feeling better! Good job using the vinegar!

 

[pmahosky]

My guess is that they are not water boatman but rather backswimmers. Water boatman don't bite as they eat algae. To get rid of them you need to get rid of all algae - SLAM process is the way.

Backswimmers do bite and the way to get rid of them is to get rid of their food source - other bugs. For both water boatman and backswimmers you need to scoop them out and kill them when you see them. Brushing and removing all other bugs (backswimmers) is also necessary. There are several threads on the forum about what people did to get rid of them but it doesn't seem like there's a sliver bullet.

 

[spidey07]

My guess is that they are not water boatman but rather backswimmers. Water boatman don't bite as they eat algae. To get rid of them you need to get rid of all algae - SLAM process is the way.

Backswimmers do bite and the way to get rid of them is to get rid of their food source - other bugs. For both water boatman and backswimmers you need to scoop them out and kill them when you see them. Brushing and removing all other bugs (backswimmers) is also necessary. There are several threads on the forum about what people did to get rid of them but it doesn't seem like there's a sliver bullet.

Thanks, I assumed it was the predatory ones that have the nasty bite. There has been a steady supply of nats/tiny bugs in the water. But again the water is crystal clear. Whatever bit her was not readily visible, tiny things that carry an air bubble with them. 2-3 millimeters at the most.

 

[pmahosky]

Backswimmers look similar to boatman but swim on their backs. If you can identify the culprit it will be easier to combat. Bug o'the Week - Water Boatmen and Backswimmers Rerun