Do Swimming Pools Attract Mosquitoes? Mosquito Repellent for Pools

All kinds of flying pests love pools for different reasons. For example, wasps, bees, and hornets have strong senses of smell, are drawn to chlorine-treated pools, and enjoy taking a dip to cool off and bring some water back to their nests or hives.

So, what about mosquitoes? Why are mosquitoes always congregating around my pool? Do swimming pools attract mosquitoes and for what reason?

Do Swimming Pools Attract Mosquitoes?

Yes, swimming pools attract mosquitoes, especially if the water is stagnant, still, or standing.

Mosquitoes breed during the summer when outdoor temperatures consistently reach or exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Here in Alabama, temperatures meet mosquito breeding and egg-laying standards in spring and summer almost every day.

After mating with a male mosquito, the female has two main jobs: (1) biting a warm-blooded animal or human and drinking their blood and (2) laying eggs in still waters. 

Why Do Mosquitoes Need Stagnant Water?

Water that’s been stagnant for at least five days is the female mosquito’s optimal egg-laying environment because the eggs (and larvae that hatch from them) cannot swim to survive and will be drowned or scattered before they can develop into fully grown mosquitoes. 

Another reason that stagnant water is critical for young mosquito larvae is because algae grow in that environment with sunlight exposure. Algae is an organic supply of nutrients for mosquito larvae to consume.

Our Solutions for Mosquitoes by the Pool

Since female mosquitoes love laying their eggs in standing water overrun by algae, a neglected pool can become a mosquito-infested nightmare. However, knowing these root causes of mosquito attraction underscores how simple the main prevention methods are.

Solution #1: Keep Water Flowing

If the water in your pool is constantly flowing from a pump, mosquitoes will be less likely to try to lay their eggs there.

Solution #2: Clean the Pool and Surrounding Area

Regularly clearing out the algae, fallen leaves, acorns, and other natural debris in your pool with a net and maintaining chlorine treatments will make the water less habitable to mosquitoes. The chlorine can attract wasps, bees, and hornets; however, there are ways to keep them at bay too!

This said, even the cleanest, well-flowing pools can create a mosquito problem if the surrounding area is not kept clean and dry. Mosquitoes prefer to lay eggs where the water has stayed still in the sun for several days, but did you know that they only need a puddle’s worth of water to lay their eggs? 

This means your pool cleaning tasks must include cleaning up any puddles you leave before heading back inside for the day.  Whether you have an aboveground pool with a deck or an in-ground pool surrounded by concrete, you don’t have to worry about ensuring it’s bone dry. Most people, especially parents, don’t have time for that. Just ensure there aren’t any puddles left behind as you can.

Solution #3: Keep Your Pool Covered

When you aren’t swimming, a pool cover can help prevent mosquito breeding by physically blocking them out, reducing oxygen supply for ones that manage to enter, keeping debris from falling into the pool, and preventing algae growth by blocking sunlight. 

When to Contact Pest Control

As a general note, it is essential to have a realistic grasp of when you need professional pest control. You need to contact an expert if the population gets out of control and becomes infested. Mosquito infestations can happen on your property—indoors or outdoors. 

You and your pets have the main form of sustenance adult mosquitoes need to survive: mammal blood. A mosquito infestation often survives in Alabama as long as it is summertime, even if you perform multiple prevention methods and buy every type of mosquito repellent (nets, citronella candles, motion sensing “zapping” devices, bug spray, tiki torches, etc.). Getting rid of an actual infestation without professional intervention is almost impossible.

If you’re struggling with a significant mosquito problem, call our experts at Vulcan Termite and Pest Control at 205-663-4200 or contact us online. We have proudly served Alabama families with our integrative pest management since 1965, and we’d be glad to help yours just the same.

Thanks for reading! Check out our pest blog to learn more about the pests and other creatures found in Alabama.