I found a water boatmen in our pool...

[helix2000]

We have an above ground pool that we keep very clean, and we have both waterboatmen and backswimmers (about 4 - 6 per week). If you see both of them, you can tell the difference. The wb are slighly smaller, lighter in color (gray) and seem to stay by the sides of the pool (they feed on any algee in the pool).

The bs are larger in size, darker in color (closer to black), much faster swimmers and swim all over the pool. They also bite but wb do not. If you can look at one closely when it comes to the surface, you can actually see it's nasty little legs curled up on top of it since it swims on its back.

The bs eat the wb and other water bugs in the pool. Guess that is why they are larger because they have a belly full of wb.

We have not found a way to keep them out yet. I am going to try that Bioguard product. For now, I just walk around the pool and can usually spot them and get them out with a net and crush them. I won't get into the pool until I have thoroughly checked it. They both creep me out.

I have also heard of mixing dish soap in a water bottle and spraying the top of the pool so they can't come up for air. I don't know if this works, but it may be worth a try for a smaller pool.

[sevver]

I have also heard of mixing dish soap in a water bottle and spraying the top of the pool so they can't come up for air. I don't know if this works, but it may be worth a try for a smaller pool.

I don't think that is a good idea. Read this post here.

[daisy11]

Um, unless you want to deal with a copper problem next, I would not use Bioguard Backup algaecide to kill the water bugs....

[helix2000]

Sorry, I didn't mean in large amounts like that. That is nut's!

I read that if you take a tblsp of dawn and mix it with water in a spray bottle and then spray a light layer over the top of the pool, this prevents the bugs from breaking the surface and getting air, so they drown.

Like I said, I don't know personally if this works, but the people who posted it said it worked for them, but I think they had an above ground.

[karrde97]

We put our pool up July 4th and have caught 100+ in the skimmer. My son makes a game of it with goggles and a net. The other I rattled the ladder and out they came. 1huge one and a bunch of liitle ones. They were immediately caught in the net and exterminated with extreme prejudice. We've had the solar cover on for a couple days. I hate to see what's living in there now.

[thepoolman1]

There are a couple of products designed to help control these bugs. One is "Bug Out" and the other "Bug Away." Ask a dealer.

These bugs actually use a primitive lung on their abdomen. They trap a bubble of air and use it to breath. The products reduce the surface tension of the water so that bubbles can't form and the critters drown. Generally what happens is that they will fly (yes, they fly) into the pool and try to trap a bubble. If they can't they will try to fly away. The ones in the pool will drown. Either way, the idea is to interrupt the breeding cycle and they will go away. You can scoop out the dead ones, let the skimmer get them or your auto cleaner.

The small ones are generaly just an unsightly nuisance, the big ones are the "mamma" and will bite. They can live in highly chlorinated water. I have found them inside floating chlorinators happily sitting on the tablets.

[gonefishin]

Well...our swimming season is pretty much over


But the waterboatmen problem wasn't all that bad. True...the bugs were a nuisance...but I didn 't have a large problem with them. But my concern (early on) was that I was going to have a larger problem than I did. Thankfully

It's still odd to watch them swim around though

take care all,
dan