No one wants to get bugged when they’re in the swimming pool or relaxing poolside. How to get rid of mosquitoes by the pool is a question the swimming pool contractors from Tipton Pools in Knoxville, TN get asked quote often.
In addition to being an annoyance and to leaving red, itchy welts on your skin, mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus and the Zika virus. These can negatively impact your health. It’s best to avoid mosquitoes if at all possible.
How to get rid of mosquitoes by the pool
Mosquitoes love water and humidity and they love the scent of humans. When you’re in the pool you’re a perfect treat for a mosquito. Don’t risk your family’s health and don’t think you have to stay indoors all summer.
There are steps you can take to keep mosquitoes from biting you and from hanging around your swimming pool.
- Make sure there is no standing water. This means, no buckets or kids’ toys with water. Dump out the toy bin. Check for standing water around the pool and get rid of that. If there is standing water on the pool cover, siphon or vacuum it off.
- Use a pool cover as a way to limit the mosquitoes access to water. If they can get to water, they can lay their eggs in it. No one wants that in their pool water.
- Mow the lawn. If your grass is unmowed, it is a place for mosquitoes to lay eggs and to hang out until you walk through and then they bite you.
- If you have any wood or rotting logs in the yard or if you burn wood for fuel in the house, check the wood to make sure there is no water or rot in it because mosquitoes will lay their eggs there as well.
- Keep the pool water chemistry in balance. If the pool water is clean and balanced and the pool water is turned over at least once a day the water won’t support mosquitoes as they require standing water in order for the eggs to grow.
- Use a larvicide or insecticide to kill them. Larvicides will kill mosquitoes before they hatch. Insecticides kill them once they’re flying around. If you have children or animals in the house, make sure you use bug killers that are safe for pets and children.
- Use a mosquito mister — again if you have pets or children, be careful with what you use.
- Burn citronella candles.
- Dragonflies and bats are natural predators of mosquitoes. Attract these predators to your yard and they will help keep the mosquito population down.
- Use screens to keep them away.
- Turn on a fan! This will keep them away as well!
Talk with us for more ideas on keeping your pool and outdoor living space mosquito free.