How to Keep Wasps Away from My Pool: Tips and Tricks

Why Do Wasps & Other Flying Insects Love My Pool?

Every living creature needs water to survive, and your pool is a large, predictable water source for nearby insects. 

In the summer, hornets, bees, and wasps don’t just drink the water they can find: They often bring it back to their nests for the rest of their broods. Pool floats and other accessories out in the sun can be intriguing places for them to build nests and lay eggs. Wasps, in particular, are a little peculiar: They crave pool water because they love the smell of chlorine!

How to Keep Wasps Away from My Pool

Now that you know why pesky wasps and hornets are eager to hover around your pool, it’s easier to know how to get them to buzz off.

Trap Bees or Wasp with a Bottle (DIY Bottle Trap)

You’ll need scissors, a water or soda bottle, something that’s greasy (any kind of cooking oil will do), and bait (something sweet like soda, syrup, honey, or sugar water). Here’s what to do for this DIY bottle trap:

1. Take the cap off the soda bottle.
2. Cut the top of the bottle off at its “shoulder.” You’ll then have two pieces—the top half resembling a funnel.
3. Rub the greasy stuff onto the inside of the top half of the bottle.
4. With the cap end first, place the top half upside down in the bottom half of the bottle.
5. Fill the bottle a quarter of the way full with your bait of choice.
6. Place the trap outside, far away from your pool. 

Wasps and bees will be attracted to the sweet smell of the bait, and they will land on the greasy funnel (upside down, in the top half of the bottle). They will slip around and become covered in grease, then slide into the bottom of the trap. 

Move Ornaments/Plants Around

Pollinating insects love the fragrant blooms of flowers and other aromatic plants, so if you have this type of greenery near your pool, these pests will also disturb it. Move your shrubs, trees, potted plants, and flowers as far away from your pool as possible. 

Deter Bees with Herbs 

Did you know that bees dislike the smell of mint and lemongrass? Luckily, most people enjoy these highly scented herbs, so you can plant them near your pool to repel bees and fill the air with a lovely fragrance. 

Deter Bees with Dryer Sheets

Bees also dislike dryer sheets, so placing a few around your pool can help prevent them. 

Distract Them with an Alternative Water Source

Since the water in your pool is what these buggers are after, give them what they want—just somewhere far away from your pool. For example, you can try bird baths and sprinklers. 

Give Bugs a Glass of Diesel Fuel

Wasps love chlorine in your pool for the same reason they love diesel fuel: the smell. Let wasps drown themselves in diesel fuel by placing a small container somewhere near your pool, away from fire and combustion hazards (like pool tiki torches) and out of the reach of children. The wasps on your property will congregate around the fuel, drink it, and meet their maker.

Get a Pool Cover

Prevent wasps and mosquitoes by using a pool cover whenever you aren’t swimming!

When to Call in a Pest Control Specialist

Wasp nest removal and insecticide spraying are highly effective methods of keeping these pests off your property; however, they can be unsafe without a professional present. Our pest control specialists have the training and protection to handle these chemicals and their health hazards. If you attempt one of these approaches alone, you are risking the health and safety of you and your loved ones.

If you’re dealing with a wasp, bee, or hornet problem—whether they’re especially bothersome this year or you have a full-blown infestation—give our experts at  Vulcan Termite and Pest Control a call 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 do the same for yours.

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