Stop bugging me when I’m in the pool! If you need to keep mosquitoes away from the pool the swimming pool contractors from SwimRight Pool Service and Repair in Scottsdale, AZ have advice for swimming pool owners and for anyone who simply wants to be out of doors and not get bugged, or bitten by bugs!
Mosquitoes seem to be more prevalent this year and they are more than just an irritant. Mosquitoes can carry diseases such as the Zika Virus and West Nile Virus; even if fear of disease isn’t a concern, it’s simply annoying to be bitten by bugs when you just want to swim and have a backyard pool party!
Keep mosquitoes away from the pool
Mosquitoes are drawn to humans, humidity (which Arizona has been experiencing of late) and water — mainly standing water, but water nonetheless. You can protect your family and make being out of doors more enjyable by ridding your yard of these pests. If you have pets or young children in the household you will need to make certain you aren’t using any chemicals that will harm them.
Mosquitoes have four lifecycle stages:
- Eggs that hatch
- Larvae
- Pupae
- Mosquito (they spend the first three stages in water and that’s why it makes sense to kill them while they’re developing by getting rid of breeding and growth sites)
Here are ways to make your home and yard not hospitable to these stinging insects:
- Get rid of any standing water. Look for areas in your yard where water is lingering. Standing water by the pool, in a garden or by a gutter or downspout.
- Use a pool cover, but make sure there is no standing water on it). It’s unlikely that your pool will be standing water because the pump is continually circulating the water, but using a cover just makes sense.
- Keep the lawn mowed. Check under the deck and around the pool for any standing water and leaves or even grass cuttings that can hold moisture and lure in mosquitoes.
If the swimming pool is clean and maintained properly and the pump is running, the water will not be a hospitable area for mosquitoes.
You can also kill mosquites in different ways including these:
- Use a larvicide or an adulticide
- Use a mosquito mister
- Natural predators like bats, dragonflies or even mosquito fish (these predators can be added to a pond or garden water feature)
- Hang bug nets or curtains around the outdoor living space
- Use yellow bug lights
- Burn citronella candles
- Wear mosquito repellant and mosquito repellant clothing
Give us a call if you see standing water around your swimming pool — it shouldn’t be there and we can inspect it to find out why and can fix it.
