Remember old movies about bugs terrorizing people? Don’t let your pool turn into a scene from “The Water Bugs That Wouldn’t Leave.” Find out how to get rid of water bugs from your swimming pool once and for all.
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to How To Get Rid Of Water Bugs In Your Pool
01:05 - How To Get Rid Of Water Boatman In Your Pool
04:35 - Pool Care Video Course
05:13 - How To Get Rid Of Backswimmers In Your Pool
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So you probably see bugs around your pool all the time, bees, mosquitoes and dragonflies. Oh, my. These types of bugs can be a bit of a nuisance but they're not nearly as bad as water bugs and they're, not as gross. So how do you get rid of water bugs and prevent them from invading your pool in the first place? Well, the key is to make your pool totally inhospitable to these bugs, and I'm gon na explain exactly how to do that right now: okay, quick disclaimer! Everyone has their own way to maintain a pool, but in the end our goal is to just help.

You and the information in this video is based on my personal experience in the pool industry and the research we've done here at swim University comm. If I missed anything, don't let that bug you please leave a comment, and let me know and it'll also help your fellow pool owners. You see what I did. There pun definitely intended.

There are two main types of water bugs you can get in your pool. Water boatmen and back swimmers, they look a lot alike, but they have a few important differences and getting rid of one will actually help you get rid of the other okay. First, let's talk about water, boatmen, nope! That's not what I mean. That's the skipper from Gilligan's Island nope: that's that's! Gilligan from Gilligan's Island, no water, boatman or oval-shaped, bugs that are about a half of an inch long and are usually brown or greenish brown.

Their back legs are longer than their other legs, with fringed hairs that help them float and paddle around, which is how they get their name. They also have wings and they fly as if you weren't freaked out enough by some big scary bug floating around your pool. They also fly, but water boatmen actually have a few good qualities. They eat mosquito larvae and they don't bite, they also eat algae, which is probably why they're in your pool.

Even if you can't actually see the algae, yet water boatmen would not be hanging around your pool if it weren't for algae for them to eat and by the way they do lay their eggs in algae too. So if you swim in your pool, while water boat men are in it, you're also swimming in algae and bug eggs, so to get rid of any boat men, you have in your pool and any baby water bugs that might hatch you have to get rid of Algae so first get the water bugs out of your pool, and you can do this with a simple leaf. Skimmer and just remember, when you do this, they may fly away, they have wings. I say that because it might freak you out when you see it for the first time the question is: should you kill them? You might see some advice out there about dunking them in a bucket full of water and oil which suffocates them, but that is kind of harsh, and now you have a bucket of water and oil and dead bugs to get rid of nothing.

Yeah. Remember they eat mosquito larvae, so they can actually be good for your backyard environment and you might want to just relocate them to another part of your yard. Now, once the bugs are out, you need to vacuum the pool you actually need to manually vacuum the pool and not use your automatic pool cleaner to make sure that you pick up as much sediment and debris as possible from the water and the pool services. Now remember to vacuum: to waste to keep the dirty water from going right back into your pool.
You can watch our video on how to vacuum a pool for more details. Next, you need to brush the pool for this. I highly recommend you get a stainless steel algae brush instead of the nylon bristles, unless, of course, you have a vinyl liner pool which, in that case, you're just gon na have to use nylon, bristles and some elbow grease. Now, before you start killing algae, you need to test the water to make sure that the pH and the alkalinity levels are where they're supposed to be, which is between 7.4 and 7.6 for pH in a hundred and 150 parts per million for out Finity.

The only thing that's gon na kill algae is chlorine shock and lots of it. Normally you use about 1 pound of shock per 10,000 gallons of water. Now for a light, algae problem, though you may need to double the dose. In fact, I would absolutely double the dose if your water is even darker green, like not teal, you want to triple the dose and if you have yellow algae or black algae or your pool just looks like The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

You may want a quadruple shock, your pool, we have an article and a video on our channel all about how to shock a pool properly, and I recommend that you check that out before shocking your pool. If you don't already know how to do it now to keep water boatmen from coming back, you just need to keep your pool clean and shock it on a regular basis, and you need to make sure that your sanitizer level stays consistent if you prevent algae. You also prevent water boatmen; they won't stay there if there's nothing to eat which is algae. Now, real quick before we talk about another type of pool bug.

If you want to learn more about taking care of your pool with in-depth tutorials and guides, you should check out the pool care handbook and video course you'll, get over 31 video lessons, plus a fully Illustrated guide covering everything you need to know about. Taking care of your pool and it is packed with money-saving tips, so you don't have to break the bank on your swimming pool. This is the ultimate manual for every type of pool and we always keep it up to date. Now because you watch this entire video, you can get 10 % off by using the promo code.

Video just go to swim, University, comm, / pool care handbook or click the link below okay. So what about the second type of water bug I mentioned they are called back swimmers and here's where things get a little hairy. So back swimmers are often mistaken for water boatmen because they look alike, but there are two key differences. One back swimmers swim on their back, which is why they're called back Somers yeah, but the other thing is they bite and the bite is nasty.
It kind of feels like a bee sting, so you definitely want these friggin jerks out of your pool. So why do you have back swimmers in your pool in the first place? Well, it's because you have water boatmen in your pool, back swimmers are predators and they eat other bugs, especially water boatmen. You see, they don't eat algae, although they do lay their eggs in it, just like water boatmen, so gross. So in order to get rid of back swimmers, you need to get rid of water boat men and to get rid of water boat men.

You need to get rid of algae, so it all comes down to keeping your pool clean and keeping your algae under control. Do those things and you shouldn't have to worry about any water bug invasions. That said, if I missed anything or you have any more questions about water bugs in your pool, please leave a comment and if you want to learn more about all kinds of pool maintenance and troubleshooting and even taking care of a hot tub subscribe to our channel Or visit Swim University calm, that's it and, as always, happy swimming.

49 thoughts on “How to get rid of water bugs in your pool | swim university”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ocean Zenn Fam xo says:

    The water bugs are annoying
    I'm a female so sometimes I just think of the worst you know what I mean lol

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars lynn leonardd says:

    Thanks so much! Service area Nepean??

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bobbi Duval says:

    What are the tiny fast moving worms in our pool!!!???? HELP!!!!!

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Keith D'Antonio says:

    Is that for a saltwater pool and a chlorine pool or what you never did say Are you in Orleans ?

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Veronica Rocha says:

    So, if there were a bunch of bugs, that I thought looked like this, but were dead, floating in my skimmers, they weren't these, right?

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars H S says:

    How about springtails????? Going to drown myself.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Instaa glams says:

    I just had a back swimmer in my pool and he was eating a bee

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Brock Lievsay says:

    whats wrong with water boatmen if they eat algae? That sounds kind of like a free natural algae control to me. How about tadpoles? I had a couple of feet of water in a little lined hole, and the next week it was full of tadpoles, of course I pumped the water from a swamp maybe I sucked up some eggs and algae. It was just a tempory water pit for an outdoor event, but now I dug it deeper with an excavator and bigger so now you could properly swim in the space and put a black 20 x 30 heavy duty vinyl tarp in the hole. It's 5 ish feet deep at the deep end and 3 at the shallow end. the hole is in hard clay, so it holds it's shape pretty well , I pretty much need a pickaxe to loosen the dirt to dig. I just roughed in a 1.5 inch pvc pipe under the bottom of the pit for the main floor drain/suction running up the side to where the pump and filter is going to be, then I'm planning to have it go up into an artificial concrete waterfall and dump back in the pool. eventually I would like to make it even a little bigger and daub and sculpt dyed concrete along the walls and floor to have it look like sandstone bedrock, but i don't have the time or money for that right now. I can't even figure out how to fill it since I don't have a well or any other type of water service, or even power for that matter, which means i'll need to use my generator to run my pump when I'm around on weekends. it wont run 8 hours / day that's for sure, maybe some tadpoles and waterboatmen along with the floating chlorinator will keep it good enough. I don't mind swimming in pond water after all. The "pool" may be a little different, but I wouldn't have it any other way. There's nothing special with your standard $50,000 pool except the years of your life your going to suffer working some miserable job that you hate just to pay for it lol.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars BOB WADAS says:

    I HAVE NOT SEEN WATER BUGS SINCE i WAS A KIDS IN THE 70'S… sAME BACK YARD.. NEW POOL AFTER i BOUGHT HOUSE FROM PARENTS. I retired age 46, so I have a lot of time by myself cleaning and keeping pool crystal clear.. Plus, if nobody is in pool, cover is always on.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dragonfly Acrylics says:

    I absolutely adore your shirt and these videos!!! Service area Kanata??

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Cheal Dennis says:

    Just a video of how to get rid of bees is all I need. Man! 🙉 he's talking to much about something else, too too long forget it, try some where else.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars that runaway guy says:

    I wish I'd seen this video before adding oil to my pool and setting it ablaze.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Nicole Frank says:

    I have a few very tiny looking black beetle type bugs in my pool. My water is crystal clear and chlorine was a little high last I checked about a week ago. PH and alkalinity were on point at that time as well. Do you know what these bugs are and if they are a bad sign to have in your pool?

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jeffrey Stelling says:

    I've been getting a lot of Buffalo flies this yr for some reason. What can I do to get rid of those? Service area Barrhaven??

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Sunnyd824 says:

    I hate bugs

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Yahbarrah Yisrael says:

    What region of the country can we find these bugs? I'm in NC, but I haven't seen these bugs yet.

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars ernesto batista says:

    Hi,
    I have a 24ft above ground round pool with the Frog Leal System. Can I use Chlorine Shock?

  18. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mar says:

    Alge in the pool?

  19. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars graham trao says:

    spider is worse

  20. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Will Phelps says:

    I'm in NC and get these big spiders that float/walk on the water. I skim them out, but they always come back. How do I get rid of them for good?

  21. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Joe J says:

    What can you recommend for flying ants ?

  22. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Wingdwolf 56 says:

    Got rid of metals
    Got rid of cloudy water
    Got rid of algae
    Got rid water bugs
    How do I get rid of biting fly ant type bugs?

  23. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars D. West says:

    What about wasp? yellowish in color, I think they are wasp…

  24. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jim Storm says:

    This is what I needed….thnx.

  25. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Concerned Kid says:

    Thanks for your vids!!

  26. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kenneth Guidry says:

    how do you get rid of flies around the pool?

  27. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Sir Yes says:

    We have theese boatman bugs in our campground pool and they are a little helpful bc they eat dead ants in the pool and other ded stuf so they kinda like spiders where everyone hates them but they kinda helpful
    but I still wanna get rid of them lol

  28. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Deborah Barilla says:

    The easiest way to get rid of those nasty critters is to make sure your chemicals are right and get some Dawn dishwashing soap and put it where the bugs are. Works like a charm. I got this info from another pool guy on youtube, the Dawn soap did zero damage to my pool or my pool pump. Are you in Kanata ?

  29. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars F TheNewNormal! says:

    Suggestions for tiny spiders that are floating all over my pool

  30. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars TexMex Show says:

    I swear I’ve been stung by these many times!

  31. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mindy Walters says:

    I know you cover the issue of "why does my pool smell like clorine" but i need the info again and can not find it and i dont remember..

  32. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Chris Hernandez says:

    So my pool is alge free..the issue is ..when we want to take a night time swim the bugs seem to be attracted to the lights and the next thing you know there everywhere ontop of the water. Is there a color that you can change the lights for bugs to be less attracted to? New pool owner.

  33. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Angie D'Elia says:

    Flying ants help!!

  34. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hola! Deez Nutz says:

    I have no clues what is in my pool but they are like centipedes but with no back legs and swim in pairs

  35. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ed Rodriguez says:

    Hi there, I don’t have any of those type of bugs in my pool. However, I have little green looking bee type of bugs inside my pool. How do I get rid of them?

  36. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dottie Blades says:

    Bug with spikes all over it in the pool! Plus boat man. Help please my granddaughter loves swimming!

  37. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Lino Andrade says:

    and worms!!

  38. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars gale212 says:

    Hey folks – don't let the dragonflies bother you. They can eat hundreds of mosquitoes a day. We love them around our pool. No bug bites! Are you in Nepean ?

  39. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Tasha Clelland says:

    Just opened our above ground pool to get it ready for the year. We are newbs. And there are what I've identified as Rat Tailed Maggots in the pool. How do we get rid of these?? 🙏 help. Service area Ottawa??

  40. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Andrew Holladay says:

    What about alligators?

  41. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Anthony says:

    You said chlorine is the only way to get rid of algae in this video. In another you mentioned a few ways. Thanks

  42. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Rocio Gomez says:

    Hi! I just noticed these tiny little black bugs in the corners of my pool. My pool guy doesn't know what they are and my bug guy says he cannot do anything with bugs in the pool. They are super tiny, almost look like ants/fleas. Please help!

  43. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars KRB says:

    What about gnats?

  44. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars 418laylah says:

    I LOVE pool bugs! I take them out of my pool in the spring then pop them into my rain barrels. They eat all the larvae . They are pretty awesome. They do an awesome job.

  45. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Carolina Ibarra says:

    Ahhh that’s disgusting I hate back swimmers

  46. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Richard Barr says:

    If shock is needed, why shock, why not none scented bleach instead of shock. And what if my Chlorine, pH and alkalinity are all good. This leaves me with time to brush and vacuum the pool.

  47. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Minecraft Pocket Edition of being says:

    I GOT MY POOL THEN WHEN I STARTED PUTTING IN LOTS OF FIRIKIN BUGS AND BEES CAME IN IT FOR NO REASON AND RUINED MY ENTIRE DAY!1!1!1!1! I PURCHASED THIS FRIKING POOL THEN THESE FURJRKRING BUGS KEEP GOING FOR NO FRIKI REASON I WASTED MONEY JUST TO GET MY ENTIRE DAY RUINED AND EVEN THAT STUPID BEE WASPED MY ENTIRE POOL

  48. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dan Shelburne says:

    We keep having boatman bugs even though there is no alege. They fly in but don't fly away.

  49. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars J B says:

    Great Videos Man.. Awesome Are you in Ottawa ?

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