subject: Keeping your swimming pool area free of stinging insects [print this page] Keeping your swimming pool area free of stinging insects
Spending fun lazy days around the swimming pool is something you don't want to be interrupted by stinging bees, wasps or hornets. If you have food and drinks around the swimming pool and if you have children in the pool chances are you will, you just need to keep the area as neat as possible.
If you have an above ground swimming pool with a wooden deck, this can be a haven for bee hives. Hornets and other kinds of wasps will burrow into the wood or build nests in the darker corners of the deck. Keep an eye on these areas to make certain your deck doesn't become home to bees.
Dealing with bees is best done if you can nip the infestation in the bud before they even become a problem and before anyone gets stung.
Here are a few tips to keep your outdoor living area and swimming pool free of bees:
Keep the pool and deck area clean of too many snacks and clean up spills as soon as possible. A melted popsicle or spilled sugary drink lures in not only bees but ants and flies as well. If there is a spill, rinse it down with some soapy water and rinse the area.
When you see bees hovering around your pool, determine what kind they are and where they might be coming from. Nests in the ground? Are they under the deck? Paper wasps build funnel shaped nests under eaves, or in the corners of your deck. Hornets make bubble shaped nests and they are attached to the sides of trees or buildings such as your deck. Bees typically return to their nests an hour before sunset, track their movements so you can find the source. Yellow jackets nest underground or in rock walls.
For about $10 a can you can buy some insecticide spray to battle the bees. Use the spray at dusk when they are heading back to their hives. Sray when there are no children or pets in the area. Cover the swimming pool so none of the spray contaminates the water. Also make certain there are no food or beverages in the area.
Wash down the pool and deck furniture and fixtures once you're done spraying.
Spray the nests after the sun has gone down when the bees have headed back to them and when they are more slow moving. Most sprays have a spray range of about 20 feet so you won't have to get close to the nests.
Stay away from the nest area for a couple of days to make certain the bees are all dead. There will be instructions on the can for how to remove and dispose of the nest.
There are "green" methods to rid your yard of wasps. Hang a raw steak from a tree branch downwind of the nest and put a bucket of soapy water under the meat. The wasps eat the meat, fall in the bucket where the soap in the water washes away the wax on their coats and they drown.
With some diligence and clean up, you can keep the bees and other stinging insects away from your swimming pool.
