During a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than jumping into your pool to cool off. However, this might not be as easy to do if you have bees and wasps swarming your pool area. These insects can be a nuisance, for sure, but apart from that, they can be a health hazard as well. Bee or wasp stings can be lethal if you or anyone in your family is allergic to them. So, for the safety of your family and even your pets, it’s best to keep bees and wasps away from the vicinity of your pool.
There are many ways to drive away the bees and wasps staying by your pool area. You can opt for natural methods that utilize the products you already have at home. Professionals can help remove these insects from your home without having to kill them or destroy their nests. Before you learn the different ways to keep bees and wasps away from your pool, it’s important to know why they swarm the area in the first place.
Why Are Bees and Wasps In My Pool?
Just like humans, bees and wasps need to cool off on hot days. They are attracted to the water because they need it to keep their bodies functioning. Apart from that, foraging bees and wasps collect and bring back the water to their nests. The foragers will transfer the water to the worker bees and wasps. If the hive needs more water, the foragers will fly back out and collect more. And so, these insects will keep coming back to your pool. While bees and wasps are more active in the hotter months, they will collect water all year round.
Water cools the hive during warmer temperatures. In-hive workers will spread a thin layer of water on top of the cells with the larvae and eggs. The in-hive workers will then fan so that when the water evaporates, the air currents will be able to cool the hive’s interior. As you can see, water is highly essential to bees and wasps. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to put up with these insects invading your pool area. Here are some ways to keep them away from your pool without causing too much damage.
Natural Methods for Keeping Bees Away from Your Pool
Bees are a valuable part of our ecosystem. They are pollinators that help plants reproduce, and as such, they are essential in providing humans a stable food supply. Understandable their presence in your home could be dangerous, especially if you have a family member who’s allergic to bee stings. As a compromise, here are natural and easy methods that can drive the bees away from your pool.
Drain Your Pool
One way to get rid of the bees is to drain your pool temporarily. If there’s no water in your pool, the bees will move on and find a new water source. After about one to two weeks, the bees’ flight pattern will break, and you’ll be able to refill your pool with water. Once they find a new water source, the chances of them returning are lowered.
Invest in a Pool Cover
If draining your pool is not an option, you can use a pool cover instead. Though pool covers can be somewhat pricey, they will be a worthwhile investment if it keeps the bees away. Just make sure that your pool cover extends to the edges of the pool so that the bees won’t have a way to access the water. Apart from keeping the bees away, a pool cover will keep your pool clean, and it helps drive away other insects like mosquitoes.
Have Another Source of Water
If there is a beehive within the vicinity of your property, the bees may keep coming back to your pool area. Another method is to introduce an alternative water source for them. It’s best to do this after you have drained the pool or installed a pool cover so that the pool will no longer be their main water source.
You can use an old bird bather, or it can even be as simple as filling a bucket with water. Just make sure there’s always water there because if it dries up, the bees will once again look for another water source, and they might come back to your pool. It’s worth noting that if the bees are coming from your neighbors, you might want to alert them, so they can help deal with the problem.
Keep Flowers Away from the Pool Area
If there are flowers near your pool, then the sweet scent of nectar will make the pool area even more attractive to the bees. You might want to transfer these plants to a different area of your property. Make sure to seal trash cans near the pool area properly. Even the smell of leftovers or garbage can be enough to attract the bees.
Add Plants That Repel Bees
Certain plants will repel bees. Bees hate the scent of lemongrass, eucalyptus, mint, and wormwood plants. So, if you want to keep bees away, you might want to have some of these plants near your pool area.
Place Dryer Sheets Around Your Pool
Dryer sheets can keep bees away from your pool. You can place dryer sheets around your pool area as their scent will be enough to repel the bees. Just make sure to replace the dryer sheets every so often because they will become less effective over time.
Create a Soap and Water Spray for Bees
Dishwashing soap is another household product that you can use to remove bees from your pool area. Just mix some soap with warm water and then transfer the mixture to a plastic spray bottle. You can spray the bees swarming your pool, and they will die. If the forager bees do not return to the hive, they won’t be able to pass on the message that your pool is a viable water source.
Keep doing this for a few days until there are no more bees in your pool area. Though this method leads to the death of bees, it will not necessarily cause damage to the hive itself.
Add Vinegar to Your Pool
Vinegar, which is another item you already have at home, can be used to keep away the bees from your pool. Adding vinegar to your pool water will result in a taste that will be very unappealing to the bees. So, they will just move on and find a new water source. Do note that this is temporary, and you can clean your pool water once the bees are gone, and you want to swim.
Use an Algae Control Product
You can use an algae control product on your pool to get rid of the bees. Adding this product to your pool lowers the surface tension of the water. When the bees attempt to collect water, they will be unable to land on the surface of the water. Instead, they will sink and drown.
Natural Methods for Keeping Wasps Away from Your Pool
Unlike bees, wasps are harder to get rid of without resorting to methods that lead to their death. Wasps pose a greater health hazard because they can sting you more than once during an attack, whereas a bee can only sting you once and will die after attacking.
Bees can only sting once because their stinger will get stuck in your skin, and this will rip out their abdomen and digestive tract.
So, while all the natural methods for keeping bees away from your pool will also be effective on wasps, there are other ways you can remove wasps from your pool area.
Raw Meat
Wasps love to feast on raw meat, and you can use this to your advantage. Take some leftover raw meat and attach it to a piece of wood. You can then nail that wood to a tree or bush that’s a considerable distance away from your pool, so they are drawn away from the area. As the meat rots, it will attract wasps. Have a bucket of soapy water below so that after the wasps eat the rotten meat, they will fall into the water and die.
Diesel Fuel
Diesel fuel attracts wasps, so you can use it to remove wasps from your pool area. Just fill a plastic bottle with some fuel. When the wasps get inside the bottle, they will drown in the fuel. Grease the inner opening of the bottle, so they won’t be able to crawl out. This method can likewise work against bees. Just make sure that the plastic bottle with fuel is not accessible to your children and pets.
Wasp Traps
You can set up wasp traps to prevent them from gathering by your pool. Just place some sugar water or sweet syrup on a piece of cardboard or wood. The sweet substance will attract the wasps, and then they will get stuck on the sweet liquid.
Chemical Solutions for Your Bee/Wasp Problem
So far, all the methods mentioned have been natural ways to keep away bees and wasps from your pool. However, if a bee or wasp problem is getting out of hand, you can opt for chemical solutions instead. Using chemical-based products could likely lead to the demise of bees and wasps. Pesticides and other contaminants are associated with colony collapse disorder. The chemicals weaken the bees’ immune systems and cause them to die.
As much as possible, these chemical solutions should be a last resort. They can be acceptable to use if it means you’re able to keep your family safe from potential attacks from the bees or wasps.
Pyrethroid-based insecticides can control pests such as ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and fleas, among others. However, a particular kind of pyrethroid insecticide — one that has cyfluthrin — is very lethal to bees and wasps. So, if you have to use a pesticide to remove bees and wasps from your pool, just look for one with cyfluthrin listed in the ingredient list. This kind of pesticide is very toxic to fish and other invertebrates. However, it’s less toxic to humans and other mammals. Check out this kind of pesticide for sale here.
A bee, wasp, and hornet killer spray can remove these insects from your pool area. However, you need to spray this product directly on the nest. A good tip is to spray at night because that’s when all the bees or wasps have returned to their nest and are inactive.
Using chemicals can be dangerous, so read and follow the instructions on the product label. Make sure you wear protective gear and clothing to avoid direct contact with the chemicals. If you are planning to use a pesticide spray, make sure you are spraying against the wind. If not, the spray might go into your eyes, mouth, or other parts of the face. Since the spray is poisonous, you should apply first aid and call emergency services right away.
Another thing to think about when using these chemical solutions is the chance that the bees and wasps might become aggressive and attack you. In these instances, you might want to consider hiring professionals who can effectively and safely deal with your bee or wasp problem.
When Should You Call a Professional Beekeeper?
Enlisting the services of your local beekeeper can be the best way to get rid of the bees and wasps in your pool area. They can be your second line of defense if the aforementioned natural methods are unable to keep bees and wasps away permanently. Additionally, they are better equipped and experienced when using chemical solutions for your bee/wasp problem.
If the bees or wasps keep on returning, there might be a hive within your property. A professional beekeeper will be able to track down the bees. Then, they can remove the nest from your property and relocate it to a different area. Best of all, the beekeeper will be able to do this without causing harm to the insects.
For example, they can use smoke to sedate the hive and then transfer it to a different location. If the queen bee or wasp is removed from your property, the rest of the bees and wasps are sure to follow.
These professionals can also spray foam around the edges of your pool. The foam won’t kill the bees and wasps, but it will make the water less desirable and force them to continue searching for another water source.
In extreme instances of a bee or wasp infestation, the safest and most effective thing to do would be to call an exterminator. They will know how to handle the problem and create a clear plan of action. By lowering the chances of encountering these stinging insects, you will finally be able to enjoy your pool without having to worry about getting stung by these insects.
Having bees or wasps by your pool is not fun. You can’t focus on your water activities if you’re worried about the possibility of getting stung by these insects. Apart from the hassle, this scenario can also be quite dangerous or even lethal if you or a family member is allergic to bee/wasp stings. So, if you want to continue enjoying swimming in your pool as well as ensuring the safety of your family, the best thing to do is to keep bees and wasps away and make sure that they don’t come back.
There are so many ways you can do this. We’ve introduced you to several natural methods that are cheap and easy to implement. Even with using everyday household products, you’ll find that these methods are handy. Best of all, they won’t cause any serious harm to the bees or wasps.
However, if you’re dealing with a more severe problem, we’ve also listed alternative methods that are more aggressive in dealing with your bee/wasp problem. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to call your local beekeeper or exterminator. They’re professionals that can guide you throughout the entire process, or they can even address the problem themselves. Hopefully, with this useful guide, you’re now aware of all your options and will be well-equipped to deal with the bees/wasps by your pool and keep them away for good