Tiny bugs in the pool

[Mendy48]

Hello All

Quick question.

I get these tiny bugs/critters (I'm not even sure what they are) in my pool all the time. I vacuum and vacuum and vacuum and they still appear. What exactly are these? And is there a way that I can get rid of them? Photo attached!!!

I'm actually not sure what to do…

 

[nuttyp]

They don't look so tiny to me, but they do look like the little crustaceans known as rolie polies or pillbugs, actually Armadillidiidae and described in some detail in wikipedia and other sites noted below. As with most pests, treatment is often in two ways. First to find and eliminate nearby habitats like mulching and rotting vegetation, wood, etc. The second article below also notes several pesticides, some organic and some more drastic. Armadillidiidae - Wikipedia and 8 Facts About the Fascinating Roly-Poly.

I have a different bug problem in case anyone wants to add - or I'll try searching TFP again... Mine is a south florida summer problem where many folks like me have screen cages around the pool and where very tiny "flying ants" (or so they seem to be) crawl through the top of the cage screen and mostly land in the pool at night especially after it rains. They also congregate into clusters over a period of a few hours, presumably using very small walkie talkies so they can decide where to gather together for a meeting and perhaps mate and multiply. They go through the smallest mesh screens and if I skim them in a very fine net they eventually crawl through that too. Spraying them with vinegar or even 10% chlorine doesn't seem to phase them. Not a giant problem, just an annoying look that requires daily skimming. Good exercise though to dog-paddle in the deep end while skimming them off the surface. Perhaps I should take my own advice and work on finding their habitat.

 

[Texas Splash]

Lots of crusty visitors I see. We can't keep bugs 100% away from our TFP clean water. I get beetles and scorpions all the time just to name a couple. I do my best by laying-down some pesticide granules around the perimeter of the pool every so often. It helps to deter the crawling bugs anyways. The flying inserts are a whole other issue. They dive-bomb the water and we just can't avoid those. Ha.

 

[Mendy48]

I'll put some pesticide granules around the perimeter of the pool then… lets see if that reduces the amount I see each day in the pool.