Weird teeny tiny bugs and stinging/flying ant things

[DogPaddle]

We also get the flying ants in the Houston area, especially after rain. (No sign of the wormy things, though... ) I just take my trusty net skimmer thingy and scoop them all off before getting into the pool.

[sailork]

I suspect the stinging flying ants are a variety of fire ants. The red ones we've got are imported. Yours may or may not be local. Your local university extension office probably has some kind of recommended way of killing them. It's a big deal down here, Texas A&M actually has this;

http://fireant.tamu.edu/

Look for specific instructions on when to put down the broadcast baits and you'll probably do as well on your own as an exterminator.

As far as the wormies I've got no idea. Do you use polyquat in your pool? I've noticed that some bugs seem to die faster since I added it. I figure it's because the polyquat acts like a surfacant and "drowns" them the way watered down dish soap kills bees.

[rpoldervaart]

Ugh! I've got those little brown worm things now. I noticed them in the skimmer a while ago, but I thought it was dust that wasn't sinking. I just saw them in the water by the step and picked some up in a cup. I'll post a picture shortly, but needless to say, I almost gagged to see that the dust was moving. They are little worm like things. I mean little, but there are bunches of them. Too small to pick up with net.

Robert

[rpoldervaart]

Here's a pic of the tiny worm things. This is in a small cup.

Robert

[rpoldervaart]

Could these be tiny mosquito larvae?

How do you keep mosquitos from laying eggs in a pool, and if these are larvae, how do I kill them? They don't seem to get sucked down into the skimmer. They float on top and spin around in a whirlpool, but don't actually get sucked down.

Robert

[Tredge]

I think you are correct about the larve.

Chlorine. Shock the pool if you havn't already and then shock it again

What are your numbers at?

[matt4x4]

look like mosquito larvae to me!
As for the ants, waves and splashing aren't going to kill them, ants can live under water for several days.
Since ants like water, it is hard to eliminate them, it is usually only a short time span that they are a nuisance.

[yjjeeper]

Here's a pic of the tiny worm things. This is in a small cup.

Robert

I have something that looks just like this. Just showed up in my pool today. What are they and how do I get rid of them?

[rpoldervaart]

I think they are "springtail" and should be harmless, although gross if you know they're in there. We had a lot of rain this past week and the pool filled up and the drain was clogged. I had thousands of these things again. I don't know of any way to get rid of them. If they're congregating by the sides of the pool and jumping back and forth, then a mixture of 1tblspoon dawn soap with 1cup water in a sprayer will cause them to sink and drown. But from what I've read, they can come back almost as quickly as you kill them...

Robert

[yjjeeper]

Thanks for the reply Robert. I "think" they showed up after putting in a new pump and filter. It is a cartridge filter and I half wonder if the little buggers were in the filter. I shocked the pool last night to see if that will help.