How to remove boatmen bugs from pools
Hundreds of people shared videos and pictures to our social media accounts about boatmen bugs taking over the Coachella Valley.
Now, many people are asking about how to get rid of them, specifically from pools.
Read: Boatmen bugs raiding Coachella Valley
When doing a quick Google search, the first result that comes up is to pour oil in the pool.
Experts say that is the last thing you want to do.
“You don’t want to put any household products in your pool because in the long run that’s really going to pose a problem when the summertime comes,” said Cindy Clark, owner of The Pool Store in La Quinta.
Clark said she’s seen a significant number of customers asking about the bugs.
Dr. Dennis Byas is one of those customers, “I looked in the pool and I saw little things flying around in the pool swimming around at first I thought they were tadpoles but then I got closer and I couldn’t figure out what they were.”
Clark said people need to follow three tips to get rid of these bugs:
“You need something to get rid of the food for the bug and that would be the algae and to get rid of the algae you need to put something in called “Keep Clear” which is specific to the algae which will kill the food in the water. At the same time the bugs like to come to the top for oxygen so you need to put in Algaecide 60 which will cover the pool so they can’t get to the oxygen.”
Lastly, you can put in dichlor chlorine to super chlorinate the pool.
Read: Expert weighs in on where boatmen bugs are coming from
We followed Byas to his home as to see how it works.
He poured the products around the pool and within 15 minutes, thousands of boatmen bugs were floating to the top.
“They’re dying almost immediately so that’s good news but now we have to find a way to skim them all out of the pool,” Dr. Byas said.
Experts say you should wait four hours before you can get back into the pool.
The Pool Store said it’s a good idea to clean your filter out as well.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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