swimming pool experts

[Guest avid]

Yuk,

I shocked my pool yesterday morning, but yesterday evening I came out and there were clumps of insects - kinda looked like ants, but I thing some had wings.  

I scooped them out.  There were about 15 clumps, of squirmy dark bugs.  the bugs are abour 1/8th in long, and the clumps of them were from the size of a quarter to over 4 inches in diameter.

I left the filter running all night, and I'm gonna go to the pool store, but I always get godd advice from my buds on BassResource.com so I thought I'd check in with y'all.

PS the pool party starts at 9pm

bring beer and raid.

[cart7t]

Termites?

[Guest avid]

No.

definitly not termites.

Some kind of flying ant, drawn to the water no doubt.

[jb_from_texas]

Avid, i have had what i think are the same insects.  Sorry i cant tell you what they are.  But i do know we used to get a BUNCH, i mean a BUNCH...before i removed the evergreen bush/shrubs.  And these bushes were in the front yard!

If you have any type of bushes or shrubs on your proprty go run your hands through the tops of them and see if they start flying out.  If you see them either go get pro advice on killing them or remove the bush/shrub.  My wife didnt like the bushes anyway so i only had one choice, removal.

Good luck.

(i still get a few every once in a while, and only in the summer months)

I live in Central Florida.

[Guest avid]

Hey JB from texas who lives in central florida.

I'm over on the treasure coast near Port St lucie.

YES> the shrubs were my first thought.  

Problem.   Are you married?

If so then you understand that I will be removed before my wifes beloved shrubs.

I went to the pool store hoping for a chemical >  No such luck.

Just as an FYI.  When I saw the bugs - flying ants or some kind of midge, swarming and breeding on the pool surface, I immediately scooped out as many as I could.   Then I added 1/2 gallon of pool acid, and ran the pump overnight.   I cleaned the pump the next day. And knock on wood the water is clear.  

Hopefully the bug guy can kill whatever was swarming.  

At the pool store, there were two other customers, both had the same problem. so it is definitly linked to the time of year, and I'm guessing the heavy rainfall we've had recently following severe drought conditions.

Florida.  It it crawls, stings, or bites, you'll find it here.

Along with some hawg bass that is.

[bassboy1]

I cannot tell ya about the bugs, but I can say, you need to switch to using bleach to chlorinate.  Go to poolsolutions.com and look around.  They sell a test kit that will allow you to use bleach to chlorinate.  Stays balanced better than pool chlorine, and is CHEAPER.  Best thing we did with the pool, aside from selling the house that it was at.

[George Welcome]

Surprised that you haven't experienced the little buggers before. It's an ant swarm - very common down here and it was an annual problem when I lived in PSL.

[frogtog]

They are swimming pool ants. Very common around swimming pools. ;D

[Guest avid]

I dunno George,

Your startin to spook me with how much you know about all things Florida, and your so often (couldn't get myself to say "always") right.

Yes, after much inverstigation and a visit from the bug guy.  They are, in fact swarming flying ants and yes this an annual event.  And yes I have been lucky not to have had them before.

My pool is totally screened in which probably accounts for my luck up untill this year.

My wife has a bird feeder out back and broght it into the lanai (thats Florida speak for screened in porch) to clean.  

We are guessing that is how they got in.

Anyway, it's been a week, and I only had that one incident.  So here's hoping for the best.

There is nothing that can be added to the pool water that will stop this.

It's Florida, and bugs are just a fact of life.

[Zel]

I think George W is right, sounds like an ant swarm (happens when a new Queen leaves the colony).  And since you are becoming an amateur meteorologist, you can combine the two areas of intrest, and become a SWARM CHASER.