Importunate small buzzing insects frequently become a problem for the pool owners. Bees flying around the pool scaring and sometimes even biting people are not the ones you want to see on your plot.
So, in this article I will describe the most effective and easiest solutions for how to keep bees away from the pool. Moreover, we’ll dive into the bees’ life to find out the reasons why these insects are so concerned about areas with water.
Bees Near Pool: Why are bees attracted to pools?
Bees rarely attack people, but sometimes pool owners want to peacefully get rid of them.
There are a bunch of major reasons and solutions that can be found for all of them. Look through the list, define your case or cases and check the solution that fits you best.
1. Water
The simplest explanation of why swarms of bees flock to the pool or decorative pond is that they want to cool off during warm days and bring some water to the nest. Bees need water to make honey, to hydrate the younger generation and just to drink.
Solution
Obviously, you can’t remove water from the pool, but how to stop bees from coming to it? You can give an alternative water supply for bees – make a bee waterer.
First of all, find the direction of where bees are nesting and place a couple of bowls or plates with water in that direction. Setting up a small fountain may be a more aesthetic but expensive solution.
Second way is to isolate a plot with a pool with a high solid fence, but it’s not the easiest method.
If you found a nest in your house or plot, check out an appropriate paragraph. It’s highly not recommended to destroy bees’ nests, so we don’t suggest it.
2. Flowers
Majority of all bees spend their lives flying and collecting nectar from flowers. Nectar is vital for bees’ lives, because it’s the main source of energy for them and raw material for honey. The process of pollination is vital for flowers, so if you have flowers near the pool, I’d recommend replanting them in other places.
Solution
Removing flowering is the obvious option, but also you can plant some herbs like lemon balm, mint, wormwood or lavender – bees don’t like the smell of these plants. The method may significantly reduce the amount of bees flying around the pool or even completely remove them.
3. Food
Sweet food may be a point of attraction for bees and other insects. Nutrients always attract all types of living creatures, and bees are not the exception. Sweets like honey, chocolate, and sugar drinks are better not to leave in open space, especially near water.
Solution
Every smell that is pleasant for humans is pleasant for bees too, so the solution is to remove foods’ smell. You should bring all the food into the house or cover it with some kind of pot, saucepan or special cloche for dishes to keep sweat bees out of the pool.
4. Apiary on a neighbor plot
If you have a neighbor-beekeeper, most likely he didn’t care about beekeeping standards like minimum fence height and the number of hives while building an apiary. So now huge bee swarms fly around the nearest territory and terrorize people, especially, near places like pool.
Solution
Obviously, the most effective solution here is to make your neighbor take care of his bees and his apiary, which most likely is placed incorrectly.
However, you may try out some or all methods in this article to repel bees from swimming pool and make it unattractive for them.
5. Nest in your house
Sometimes bees choose peoples’ houses as the best place for making a nest. Inspect the house, especially the attic, walls and space under the roof. Also, the nest may be placed on a tree or on the fence corner If you found one, there are a couple of ways you may follow.
Solutions
Honey bees are very useful and important to the whole ecosystem of the area, so it’s highly not recommended to destroy their nests. Transferring the nest is widely practiced instead to get bees away from the pool.
However, situations when bees in the house may be dangerous for people sometimes occur, and there is no way except evicting, poisoning or even destroying the nest.
The most popular option is to smoke out the insects using a simple bonfire or a special device called a smoker. Bees would calm down hiding in the nest and then you can bring the nest wherever you want without problems.
The second one is to set up loudspeakers with bird singing. Bees don’t like that kind of sound, so they’ll abandon the nest after some time. However, bees have a trait to return to their ”homeland”, so you should be on the alert.
Chemicals like dichlorvos are used only in extreme cases, when the nest has to be removed immediately.
Never try to get rid of a nest without special protection equipment! Even more, you’d better leave such kind of work for professionals.
6. Colorful clothes or building
Flowers attract bees not only via smell but also viacolor. Bees have a slightly different eye system from the human one. Yellow and blue tones are the favorite ones for bees. In contrast, insects don’t like and are even afraid of dark colors like gray, brown, black etc.
Solution
Avoid using bright colors around the pool. Using darker colors may help you.
Ways to keep bees away from your pool
Here’s a short check-list of some prophylactic measures that may help you avoid problems with bees.
- Check adjacent territory for bee nests. If some are found, take appropriate measures.
- Avoid planting flowers near the pool.
- Set up drinking bowls for bees in the nearest territory.
- Plant some herbs like lemon balm or mint around the pool.
- Do not leave food in open space.
- Avoid wearing bright-colored clothes.
FAQ
Some popular questions about bees and water.
What are the tiny bees in my pool?
Most likely you saw hoverflies or sweat bees around pool. Hoverfly is a type of fly similar to bee and sweat bees are species smaller in size. Both of the insects are widely spread across the US.
How do I keep bees out of my saltwater pool?
Saltwater pools have low salinity levels, and bees like it. However, measures are pretty the same as for a regular pool – check the territory for nests, keep food covered, do not plant flowers, avoid using bright colors.
Why do bees drown in pools?
Sometimes bees accidentally touch a water surface while drinking. Wings get wet, so bees can’t stay in the air and fall. There’s only a small chance that bees will manage to get out of water.
So, what should I do to deter bees from pool?
Find out why the bees showed up at your pool and what you can do about it. In 90% cases the problem is not critical and you’ll easily find out the right solution. Also, don’t forget that bees pollinate flowers and play a massive role in our ecosystem, so killing them is a huge mistake.
Have you had similar problems with bees near the pool? How did you cope with them? Share your experience in the comments below.
Also read:
- Best Bee Killer Spray
- Best Carpenter Bee Trap
- How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
- How to Get Rid of Bees in Wall
- How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Wd40
- Bumble Bee vs Carpenter Bee
- Carpenter Bee Trap Bait
- How Do Carpenter Bee Traps Work
References
- What colors are bees attracted to in the garden? (New York Botanical Garden) https://libanswers.nybg.org/faq/222585
- Beekeeping Laws & Regulations (American Beekeeping Federation)
https://www.abfnet.org/page/laws-regs
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