Worm poop and Red Oak tree leaves?

[bunedockmama]

Have a Red Oak over my pool and everyday for the past 2 weeks or so, I'm finding cut green leaves in the pool skimmer and a few yellow/green/white stripped worms with a purple-ish looking top stripe, skimmed from the bottom.

There are large piles of blackish looking stuff around the sides of the bottom. These things will float when stirred up and skimmed. As soon as it hit's the air, it turns to green slime. Does algea do that?

I finally hooked up the vac. and got most of it out. Had to clean the filter 3 times.

The next am, there was a bunch more of it! I've finally come to the conclusion that this may be worm poop?

Can anyone confirm this?

 

[anonapersona]

Sounds like a good guess to me.

Is it possible to have someone thin out that tree? Typically you can remove about 25% - 30% of a tree with selective cutting without doing any damage. Highly recommended during a drought as well to reduce water needs. I realize that the caterpillars ARE thinning it but less leaves to begin with will mean less caterpillar poop as well.

 

[Jamison04]

Sounds like worm poop to me! We have the same problem from the pecan tree next to our pool. All summer long work poop falls into the pool from the web worms if we have a bad year of them. Soooooo annoying!

 

[PSW]

Another idea is adding a skimmer sock (or knee-high stocking) to your skimmer basket. This will help keep some debris out of your filter.

 

[bunedockmama]

Thanks so much for the replies. I was afraid it might be wishful thinking on my part. Not that I wish for worm poop LOL. But was afraid I had some sort of algea, although the pool water looks great.

I think I can thin out some limbs, without too much flack from Hubby, he is the one that planted that tree nearly 20 years ago, thank goodness it has been a pretty slow grower. I was the dummy that planted the pool under it. :lol:

Love the skimmer sock!

I have some foilage insecticide, but don't think I want to use it over the pool, unless we completely tarp it over and then rinse it off. We have so many projects going on right now, I may have to just keep fighting them with the vac.
Can anyone identify what type of worm this is? Someone told me it was a Catava (SP) worm? The kind people in the south fish with. IDK.

 

[Isaac-1]

Ah worm poop, yet another reason I am glad I have an indoor pool

 

[reeltor]

I had the same problem and contacted the Extension Service. I wanted to know if spraying the tree with BT would harm us (the BT would blow/drip into the pool). They didn't think so but recommended a systemic pesticide that the tree takes in at the roots and when the caterpillar eats, its his last meal.