You surely have experienced the discomfort of slapping away a mosquito that buzzed by your ear or landed on your body to take a bite. People wearing dark clothing who are moving about under the light of a full moon are the most likely mosquito feeding targets. Stagnant swimming pools often become mosquito breeding grounds. If mosquitos have chosen your pool as an ideal place to lay their eggs, contact us at Anchor Pools & Spas for help.
Keeping the Mosquitos Away
Mosquitos love stagnant water whether it is in a bucket, drainage ditch, bird bath, decorative fountain, or in any type of water feature. They lay their eggs (larvae) there and within just a few weeks, thousands of mosquitos can be attacking you and your guests.
The best way to get rid of mosquitos is to prevent them from hovering around your pool laying their eggs. You do this by maintaining your pool, making sure the filter is properly functioning, the water chemistry is balanced, and the water is sparkling clear. But there are times you may not be able to do this.
If mosquitos are breeding, buzzing, and biting because a pool has not been maintained, here are some ways we can get rid of them for you.
- Regular maintenance. Pools become stagnant for several reasons. The owner may have financial issues, so cuts back on regular pool maintenance. The home may be empty, or the homeowners out of town for an extended period.
- Mosquito dunk. This is a donut shaped solid item full of chemicals toxic to mosquitos. It releases those chemicals slowly into the water to kill the eggs. The drawback is that the water remains cloudy, and algae may develop.
- Mosquito fish. These little minnow-type fish eat the mosquito larvae. The downside of using these tiny fish is that you cannot put chemicals in the water and the water will still be cloudy.
- Put on a pool cover. This only works if the cover completely covers the pool water and is strong enough to not hold water.
- Drain your pool. This is not as easy as it sounds and is not recommended because it can cause some structural damage to the pool. Plus, it is almost impossible to keep any water out of the pool so there will still be a chance for the site to become a mosquito breeding ground.
For help with getting rid of mosquitos around your pool this summer, contact us at Anchor Pools & Spas.
