How to Get Rid of Bugs in the Pool

June 24, 2025 min read

Bugs, like us, absolutely love lounging in and around the pool. However, for obvious reasons, that’s not generally desired by swimmers and pool owners alike. Mosquitoes, bees, and wasps can sting. While others like flies, can simply be irritants, or if drowned, debris in the pool. As such, for a more pleasant environment, it’s best to prevent bugs from hanging around your pool in the first place. While not an easy task, how to keep away bugs is made simpler when you keep the tips this article covers in mind.

Why Are Bugs Attracted to Your Pool?

Although we love pools for the exercise and leisure benefits, bugs are attracted to pools for their own reasons, primarily related to basic survival.

Water source. Many insects need water to survive, and your pool provides that, especially during hot and dry periods. Mosquitoes, in particular, require standing water to breed, so pool water’s perfect for that too.
Food supply. Pools often attract smaller insects, which in turn attract larger predatory bugs. Plus, algae and other organic matter in the pool can serve as a food source for those looking for easier eats.
Light. Pool lights at night draw insects in, particularly nocturnal bugs like mosquitos, moths, and certain kinds of beetles.
Shelter. The surrounding vegetation and any debris around the pool can provide shelter for some types of insects, while the pool itself can offer a place to hide or breed.
Temperature. During certain times of year, pool water can simply be a more desirable temperature than the surrounding environment, giving bugs a place to cool down.

Common Types of Pool Bugs

You don’t need to be an entomologist to identify the bugs around your pool, as many of them are amongst the more familiar pests we know. These include bees, wasps, beetles, mosquitos, water striders, aquatic beetles, house flies, fruit flies, midges, dragonflies, moths, ants, crickets, cockroaches, pool mites, and spiders.

Yikes! We sure hope you don’t have them all. But even if you do, as we continue our dive into how to keep bugs out of pool water you’ll discover it’s a fixable thing.

How to Keep Insects Away from the Pool

We didn’t just list the reasons bugs are attracted to your pool for interest’s sake. Rather, minimizing the attraction is key to keeping the bugs away, and these are the five main ways to do it.

1. Eliminate breeding grounds. The most crucial step is to eliminate breeding ground by removing any standing water around your pool area. To do so:

o Empty and store pool toys, buckets, and other containers upside down.

o Ensure proper drainage around the pool deck.

o Fix leaky faucets and pipes in the vicinity.

o Clear gutters and downspouts regularly.

2. Ensure proper pool chemistry. Maintain proper chlorine levels and pH balance to prevent algae growth, which attracts insects.

3. Minimize lighting around the pool. Turn off lights at night or when not in use, and use yellow “bug lights” or LED lights, which are less attractive to insects.

4. Keep food and drinks away. This means avoid eating or drinking near the pool, clean up any spills immediately, and keep garbage can lids tightly sealed.

5. Maintain the surrounding grounds. Trim bushes and shrubs around the pool area, remove overgrown vegetation (which provides shelter for insects), and keep grass mowed short.

Tip: For those keen on how to deal with pests, we’ve also covered how to deal with frogs in the pool , which is another common inquiry.

Physical Barriers and Deterrents for Keeping Bugs Out of the Pool

When contemplating how to get rid of pool bugs, an obvious answer is to add physical barriers and deterrents where you can. These include:

Pool covers
Screens
Fans
Citronella candles or torches
And insect repellent on yourself

Does Chlorine Kill Bugs in the Pool?

Chlorine is effective for preventing mosquito larvae and reducing food sources for some insects.

However, it doesn't repel adult insects and doesn't eliminate all types of bugs. As such, a combination of chlorine and other preventative measures is necessary for effective bug control.

Best Pool Maintenance Practices for Keeping Your Water Bug-Free

Another important factor in how to get rid of pool water bugs is general swimming pool maintenance.

It’s recommended that you regularly skim the pool surface to remove debris and insects. You can do this manually with a handheld pool bug skimmer, or using a robotic pool skimmer which does the work automatically.

You should also regularly vacuum the pool floor and surfaces to remove sediment and organic matter, for which a Dolphin is great, clean your pool filter to maintain proper circulation and remove debris, and keep the pool deck clean of food particles, and other types of trash.

Conclusion

Keeping bugs away from your pool requires a bit of effort, but it can be done. For success, you’ll need to assume a multi-pronged, long-term approach. This is done by addressing what attracts bugs in the first place, and creating an inhospitable environment for them – which when done right, by the way, happens to result in safer, cleaner waters for you.