Hi
Really enjoy lurking on this site, and have learned tons of info. Am using the BBB method this year and had a very successful (from icky black to clear in about 5 days and cheap!) opening. Thanks for all the helpful information.
Here's my current dilemma. There are tons of little black bugs living just above the waterline of our crystal clear pool. They look like fleas, and seem to spend their time hopping quickly back and forth from the side of the pool onto the water. Did some online searching, and I am guessing they are springtails (althought these are black, and most other people say theirs are gray or brown). A suggestion from another site said to spray them with a dilute (3T in 3 cups) solution of Dawn dishwashing solution, that it would immediately kill them by changing the surface tension of the water, so that when they hopped on it, they would drown. Tried it, and it worked but it was very temporary. Within about 1-2 hours they were back with a vengeance.
Do you have any suggestions? I understand (if they are springtails) that they are harmless, but they are gross, and making my very inviting pool uninviting! I am thinking that shocking the heck out of the pool wouldn't work, since they seem to hang out right above the waterline, and spend just a second on the water before hopping back onto the wall.
Here are some vitals on my pool. Inground, ~22,000 gallons, vinyl liner, sand filter, BBB method, at last check chlorine(total) around 3ppm, pH 7.5, cyan A 30 ppm, hardness 280 ppm, alk 90 ppm, temp about 72. Also, we recently relandscaped around the pool (removed gravel and black plastic, replaced with new loam, grass, timbers and riverstone).
Thanks in advance for any suggestions on getting rid of these pests!
Chris
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