With summer here, and every kid in the country begging to go swimming in the backyard, you may be wondering how to stop your pool from attracting mosquitoes. And given the unchecked spread of the Zika virus right now keeping the pool free form bugs is more important now than ever before. As much as every mom out there wants to protect her kids from a disease they know very little about, you also can't expect your children to live their lives in a bubble till then. So if you have a pool, you need to be proactive about preventing it from becoming the type of pool that attracts those mosquitoes.
Although I've never had a swimming pool myself, I will admit that last summer, I bought my daughter a kiddie pool to play in. And it's quite possible that I filled it one weekend for her, and then left it to warm up... for the rest of the summer. No, she didn't go back in after that first weekend, but I wouldn't dare do the same thing again this summer. Things have changed quite dramatically in the past year, and preventing mosquitoes from setting up camp in your backyard isn't just something to aspire to, it's necessary. So if you have a pool, here's how to stop it from attracting mosquitoes this summer.
1Cover Your Pool When It's Not In Use
According to the Warren County Mosquito Commission, securing your pool cover in place so that mosquitoes can't get into the water can help to prevent your pool from becoming a breeding ground.
2Try Insecticides That Are Meant For Use In Pools
Insecticides like BTI, for instance. Never heard of it? That's the short form for bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, a bacteria that, according to Beyond Pesticides, can kill a number of strains of mosquito without harming humans, pets or the environment.
3Regularly Clear Your Pool Cover Of Standing Water
According to the same article from the Warren County Mosquito Commission, a pool cover that has accumulated any amount of water on top of it will attract mosquitoes and become a place for them to breed.
4Make Sure Pool Toys Are Dried
Good Housekeeping noted that any location can become a breeding ground for bugs, including toys left out in the yard. When the kids are done playing with them, dry the toys off.
5Empty Unused Swimming Pools
This kind of goes without saying, but perhaps it bears repeating: if you're not planning to use your pool this summer, maybe because you're going on a long family vacation or something, then drain the pool. Unused swimming pools that still have water in them are a common place for mosquitoes to breed, according to the Mayo Clinic.
