Swimming Insects

rodelz · Postby **rodelz** » Mon 17 Jan, 2011 19:16

Pool User wrote:
rodelz wrote:I have thousands of these pesky bugs, mine swim right side up so they must be boatman. I just put 1/4 cup of morning fresh in the pool and they all went crazy coming up to the surface to breath, the oxygen won't stick to them so they can't stay under very long, no foaming in pool so the detergent acts as a surfactant so hopefully by tomorrow they will all be gone. I'll keep you posted. fingers crossed!!!

I have the same thing! I see you live near Melbourne - I think it is from the warm rains we had last week - went to the pool shop today and they said stacks of people had been in complaining of small bugs that bite in the pool. They gave me a sponge to put in the skimmer and tomorrow I'm going back to get some liquid that seals the surface of the pool (they were sold out of it today) - the two are supposed to work together - the bugs are revolting and it's the first time I have ever seen them in my pool. Hopefully this will sort them out else im also heading for the Morning Fresh

They've gone!!

I must admit I didn't just put the Morning Fresh, I also shock dosed and add about 100mls of Backup Algae Inhibitor and within 24hrs I've gone from thousands to just a few which I'm sure will be gone today. You're right I think about the rains as well as that we are experiencing a black water event in the Murray River because of all of the tannins in the water, this reduces the oxygen content of the water and makes it difficult for fish and underwater insects to breath. I have sighted several large Murray Cod belly up floating by, a very sad sight to see as these are the breeding stock.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Mon 17 Jan, 2011 23:10

Mine are pretty much gone too! I added chlorine and algicide and then this product called no ducks which doesn't kill them but puts an invisible seal on the surface so that no more can get in the water and then for good measure I also put in detergent - I think that stuff whacks them - and I am running that filter like crazy and also trying to cool the pool - I recon they won't like colder water - so far so good.. i'm sorry to hear about the fish that's not good - these rains have practically wiped out everything mangoes, bananas are all going to go up again not to mention all those poor people in Queensland and Victoria

lisaa · Postby **lisaa** » Wed 19 Jan, 2011 00:12

Same situation here, i got allergy on my hands and legs, I think the reason behind this will be those insects!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Thu 27 Jan, 2011 06:16

Hi,

I live in Sydney, Australia and also work in a pool shop. There is a way to treat back swimmers. Theres a product on the market that changes the tension of the water surface, which won't let these little bugs come to the surface to get air, effectively drowning them. The product also makes the bugs that scoot around of the surface of the pool sink. The product is safe to use and safe to swim in. Here in Sydney its called No More Bugs by lo chlor.

Hope this helps... Kelly

Leeann · Postby **Leeann** » Mon 14 Mar, 2011 05:10

KimB wrote:I KNOW WHAT THESE ARE!!! I logged on to here in hopes of someone knowing how to get rid of them! They are called BACKSWIMMERS and from what I have seen online you really can't get rid of them!! They can fly and they are not effected by SHOCK because they breath air. They do bite and it says that it feels like a painful sting. I have netted a few of them and threw them out of the pool but at one time I witnessed one flying right back in!! this SO grosses me out!!! If anyone finds anything that might get rid of them please let me know!!!
Thanks.
Kim

Spray the whole surface of your pool with a mixture of dish soap (i use dawn) and water, the soap makes a film on top of the water and the bugs suffocate. After a few hours you should see the dead ones floating on top, start fishing them out. For good measure i dump them in a bucked of water with some baby oil in it and let them sit for a while longer. After that make sure you dose your pool regularly with algacide and brush the sides!!!!! Hope this helps!!!

saif · Postby **saif** » Sat 04 Jun, 2011 11:21

You could get rid of them by adding chlorine and acid together at the same time in the pool
you could see them die they will just float

Razelberrypi · Postby **Razelberrypi** » Sun 05 Jun, 2011 22:35

hey my name is autumn i am 11 and me and my cousins find these bugs ALL the time. We catch them and put them in a bucket by the pool with water and everyday they keep disappearing. We figured out that they fly, can live in water, and bit (one bit my cousin) he said it hurt. I didn't hurt very long though. We put all the bugs we find in my grandmas pool in the bucket and call it bug soup. :p hehe. I don't know how to get rid of them though sorry but we catch them and put them in a bucket so you can do that if your heart desires.

dianeolso · Postby **dianeolso** » Sat 30 Jul, 2011 17:07

been fighting these for about 4 years. I suck them up in the filter hose & into my sand filter. Up until today I have only had a few but today I quit counting @ 20. And yes they are fast little boogers however if you chase them long enough they seem to tire out.

David&Sheila · Postby **David&Sheila** » Sat 13 Aug, 2011 06:32

5 years ago when I remarried in Spain and moved into my wife's villa, it had a salt water swimming pool 7m by 4. The first year I swam in it I encountered what I called 'swimmers', which appeared to be air breathing insects with wing like fins, in large numbers. I counted up to 100 at any one time. They didn't bother me, and initially I didn't bother them. They appeared to lay eggs which attached themselves to the sides of the pool. Asking around, I found that they were quite common, and that they could be eliminated by the use of a compound from pool shops, but this was only a temporary and expensive solution.

As an ex Navy Diver I simply snorkelled them up by net, and removed the eggs by simply brushing them off the pool sides, whence they sank to the bottom of the pool and remained unhatched until the regular clean removed them. The eggs appear to be small blobs of green algae on the sides of the pool. By instituting a daily routine in this manner I cleared them all out in about a month, and they did not return that year.

The next year they appeared again in May, but in greatly reduced numbers, and were cleared out in a few days. In the past 3 years I have detected eggs from time to time, but only one swimmer each year, easily dealt with. Thus the problem has been solved at no cost. Each time you enter the water, a search must be carried out before a normal swim. Incidentally I have never been bitten by one of these insects, and indeed they make every effort to avoid contact when pursued underwater. I have never seen one fly, but if flipped out of the pool, they are quite capable as air breahters of using their 'fins' to get back into the pool. They have to be removed and destroyed.

Best of luck

David

TSH Tech · Postby **TSH Tech** » Thu 18 Aug, 2011 00:17

//// This is key information:

Pool User wrote:Hi,

I live in Sydney, Australia and also work in a pool shop. There is a way to treat back swimmers. Theres a product on the market that changes the tension of the water surface, which won't let these little bugs come to the surface to get air, effectively drowning them. The product also makes the bugs that scoot around of the surface of the pool sink. The product is safe to use and safe to swim in. Here in Sydney its called No More Bugs by lo chlor.

Hope this helps... Kelly

I've read this entire post, the Dawn liquid soap solution made me laugh a little, but the soap product does break the water tension.
The bugs secrete a small air picket so they can breath, when you break the water tension, they can't secrete and hold the air pocket, so they drown and die. The same exact concept occurs with the 'water walker' bugs. They sink, and die.
Safety
Dawn dish soap, super-chlorinating, shock, heavy algaecide use may seem to "nuke" the little buggers, however, you're simply adding unnecessary chemicals to to your pool which may cause skin irritations with the younger ones trying to enjoy the pool. And you never, truly ever want to add soap to your pool. It just doesn't belong in the swimming pool.
You definitely want a pool chemical that simply breaks the water tension only
Bugs fly into the pool and you simply just need to retreat the pool as necessary.

Whats Up · Postby **Whats Up** » Mon 05 Sep, 2011 18:37

Hey, we live in South Florida and we get the same bugs in our above ground pool if I am slacking on the clorine. They are really cool to watch, but they dont bite!!

sharibear · Postby **sharibear** » Sun 25 Sep, 2011 16:14

after reading all posts, i added a small amount of babyoil to the surface of our pool, walked around the sides with the net to swish it around. by the time i got back to where i started, there were at least 3 dead back swimmers floating on the surface. our pool is 16 foot round above ground. im gonna do some more research on where they come from and why.. we cought one and put him in a jar, they have fangs, so im sure they most definately could bite. im not chancing getting in the water with them. thanks for all the info from every one, good luck with your pools, (dont let the pool bugs bite! :thumbup:

)

John75 · Postby **John75** » Sat 10 Mar, 2012 19:24

Hi Bailey! Have you checked this guide about water filtration at
www.indoorpoolguide.com/filtration-systems
and pool water chemicals at
www.indoorpoolguide.com/water-chemicals

kdoga · Postby **kdoga** » Tue 27 Mar, 2012 20:08

I had an above ground pool installed last summer in richmond texas.....we had no rain all summer, so we spent alot of time in it. It is 12x24 ft. Noticed some bugs that swim extremely fast but managed to catch them....had to smash them as soon as i caught them because they would jump right back in. The only thing i discovered that worked to help get rid of them was to use a copper algae preventer. You just don not want to use too much because the copper in the product will oxidize in your hair and turn it green.....Also doing the dry acid treatments seems to help....

simbasfolks · Postby **simbasfolks** » Thu 14 Jun, 2012 20:05

The best way to kill the back swimmers is to put them in water that has been mixed with oil. Vegetable oil is fine too. Since they breath oxygen, they can't get to the surface due to the oil and they drown.