Types of swimming pool bugs. If you do not maintain your swimming pool or if you neglect it for long, water bugs will infest your pool.

While these creatures might seem to be harmless, they make the pools their homes unless the conditions are eliminated that attract them to pools.

Types Of Swimming Pool Bugs

Here is a list of ten types of water bugs that infest swimming pools: Frogs, Snails, Roaches, Bees (wild), Bees (honey bees), Water Boatmen (a type of floating insect), Water Striders (a type of flying insect), Skimmers (a type of small tadpole), Mosquito Larvae and Tadpoles/Polliwogs.

1. Springtails

Springtails are water-dwelling insects that like to jump. They’re bugs in your pool that get moisture by living near damp places, like bathrooms and laundry rooms.

Their habitat is damp areas with high levels of moisture such as shady places outdoors near puddles or storm drains.

Springtails can live in the moist areas near decaying organic matter, like leaves, too!

Spruce Point has lush green grass around the property which keeps these small bugs happy and closes by.

Bad weather during the season typically results in an increase in bugs, as well as more snakes slithering about.

Add a clogged up pool for bugs to congregate and you’re swimming with a death sentence on your hands if you go ahead and leap into the deep end.

Now on to your bug problem!

Springtails are nature’s primary vegetation ground-pilferers; they like to stay close to their food sources so find the nearest greenery and kill it with excessive amounts of poison until bugs lose their appetite for the area.

2. Water Boatman

Water bugs and springtails are very different when it comes to their behavior. As opposed to water bugs, springtails have the ability to detect and take care of algae in pools.

While algae can be a beneficial component for the benefit of your pool, it is not something that you want to deal with on a daily basis.

Springtails feed off of and clean the algae effectively in your pool which will preserve the health of your pool while also making it easier on space & money that you perhaps had once dedicated to keeping up with regular cleaning chores.

With just 500-1,000 live springtails introduced as eggs or larvae into a properly maintained swimming pool, they will gradually build up their population so that there are 10,000-20,000 live springtails present by week 2.

3. Backswimmers

Backswimmers are a type of predator that swims upside down in the pool. They hunt larger adult water boatmen bugs as well as their larvae and other tiny bugs in pools where they’ll eventually end up floating as corpses.

In turn, don’t be surprised if you happen to lose your water boatmen bugs; this is because backswimmers will naturally attract them due to their natural diet and habits.

Like the backswimmers, the water boatmen have the ability to fly but they prefer not to since it could prove costly by reducing their lifespan at all.

When both predators are after each other, they’ll inevitably end up meeting their demise – such is life. There’s no denying it – there are a lot of bugs in this world that share the attribute of not being totally awesome. Which is why we love to meet them!

Take backswimmers for example – also known as hellgrammites or Dobsonfly larvae when they’re in their pre-pupae stage.

They have three sets of legs each one serving different purposes and basically aren’t much of a threat (except you know, those people who get bit by the larval stage but nevertheless, they don’t live long).

The first two sets are like shovels – used to stab its prey; whereas their third pair leaves eggs on sticks so it has a better chance at procreation.

That said, most humans don’t experience any real adverse reaction when bitten by a backswimmer, but if it does cause discomfort the good thing is that it usually doesn’t last very long.

4. Giant Water Bugs

Giant water bugs, also known as toe-biters, alligator ticks, and alligator fleas in Florida are the most lethal insect that can ever get in your swimming pool.

Chances are you’ve heard of this being a smaller relative of the daddy long leg.

Now depending on where you come from around the world will depend on what you call giant water bugs.

You may see them as a doodle bug, splash bug, Mosquito hawk or even some have called them a clown beetle.

But regardless of what they’re actually called them all share similar characteristics. In their natural habitat predators such as dragonfly larvae hack away at these giants but in swimming pools – human beings are right at the top of their food chain.

Giant water bugs carry poison, but it’s not for humans. They use the poison to paralyze their prey. But interestingly, giant water bugs are scared of humans.

In fact, they prefer the shade and humidity around pools, disappearing into the shadows when approached.

Giant water bugs stay on pool floors mostly but occasionally come out to hunt on land or climb to gather moisture from leaves above or any other surface before moving back under cover in search of food.

5. Thrips

There are a number of creatures that call your pool their home, and thrips are one of them. These plant-eating bugs feed off of greenery in large bodies of water like pools.

As such, your swimming pool isn’t typically the habitat for these types of creatures to live out their lives, however they can appear in your watering hole from adjacent growth.

When you notice vegetation building up around the perimeter of your pool, be wary: these details would be something to pay attention to so as to avoid attracting potential predators like thrips or other pests that might find it difficult to enter your pool should there be obstructions blocking their way into it.

6. Jesus Bugs

Jesus bugs are tiny pesky bugs that can be found on your pool water’s surface, which can range in a normal size of 2 mm to 8 mm long.

These insects can walk on the surface of the pool water, and they also move very quickly on the surface of your water, creating ripples as they jump.

They’re known to sometimes poke their head out of the water a bit when they run or jump.

It’s useful to identify whether you have a Jesus bug infestation or not because they indicate major issues with your pool, such as other small insects including popcorn mites and thrips.

As such, these Jesus bugs will eat those smaller insects along with tiny pieces of algae that may be in your pool.

It’s more common for a completely clear pool to have these Jesus bugs than an infested one since the conditions must be right for them to survive in your pool environment.

Ways of get Rid of Bugs in Swimming Pool

Remove bugs from the pool’s surface by skimming.
You can use shock chlorination to remove organic matter from your pool.
You should use algaecide to kill any living algae in your pool.
If there are any debris left on the pool’s floor or side, vacuum it up to remove it.
To prevent bugs from getting into the pool, remove vegetation around it.
Lights Should Be At Least 30 Feet Away From the Pool.
Get Rid Of Any Water Stagnation Around Your Swimming Pool.

Conclusion

Types of swimming pool bugs. Mosquitoes, thrips, jesus bugs, pool mites and gnats are four tiny bugs in pool that also play a role in attracting the big water bugs.

Lack of regular pool maintenance and not cleaning the pool appropriately are reasons for pests to gather around your swimming pool.

This post has a 7-step guide that not only keeps your pool swanky clean but also gets rid of the pesky midges.

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Types Of Swimming Pool Bugs