Outdoor PestsBees

How To Keep Bees Away From Pool

How To Keep Bees Away From Pool

Bees can be annoying pests if not adequately controlled. They buzz around our homes, gardens, parks, and public places.

On a hot and sunny day, the best thing you can do is dive right into your backyard swimming pool.

However, being stung by a bee during a relaxing time in your swimming pool or having visitors get stung near your swimming pool can be extremely unpleasant and should be prevented as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, bees are considered beneficial insects since they produce honey and other foods and products necessary for human consumption.

If, however, they choose to make their home next to your swimming pool, this might lead to various complications.

Therefore, what precautions can you take to prevent them from entering your swimming pool? Continue reading to find out the answers to your questions provided in this article.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Because of the harm bees cause, we strongly advise keeping them away from you and your family, including for your guests’ protection, but how can you accomplish this?

So, here are the top 10 things you can do to keep bees away from your pool!

  1. Utilize decoy nests.
  2. Make a spray solution.
  3. Make use of natural repellents.
  4. Make use of mothballs.
  5. Remove all bright colors.
  6. Alternate water supply.
  7. Keep food and drink covered.
  8. Remove flowers around your pool.
  9. Make use of bee traps.
  10. Hire a professional bee control expert.

If you read this article and put into practice each of the 10 suggestions that we have outlined, we will guarantee that bees will never again gather around your swimming pool.

This article will reveal the top 10 proven and effective methods you need to know about to keep bees away from your pool easily. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

10 Ways To Keep Bees Away From Pool

Ways To Keep Bees Away From Pool

This section will discuss the 10 ways that have been tried, tested, and shown to be effective in keeping bees away from the pool.

If required, we will also provide some expert suggestions. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Utilize Decoy Nests

Utilize Decoy Nests

Bees have a strong sense of territorial aggression and will not enter another bee colony’s territory.

By putting up these fake nests around your pool, the bees might think there is already a colony in the area.

This prevents the bees from establishing a home around the pool because they believe there is already a colony there.

Some homeowners have reported success with a fast fix that involves blowing up a paper bag to make it appear like a wasp nest and putting it next to a pool.

This quick fix is entirely based on anecdotal evidence, and there is no scientific evidence to back it.

This may work, but a bee who ventures near enough will learn that it’s not a genuine nest and may even use the paper to build its own nest.

Nonetheless, there are more effective methods than this; however, making a fake nest is not difficult and does not cost too much money; thus, it could be worthwhile to give it a go.

2. Make a Spray Solution

Make A Spray Solution

You may do it naturally using peppermint essential oil or make it yourself using dish soap. Both of these options are spray solutions that have been proven effective in effectively keeping bees away.

To do it using peppermint oil, Mix up two to three tablespoons of liquid soap and one cup of water in a spray bottle. Next, add a few drops of peppermint oil.

Another option is to fill a spray bottle with a mixture of one cup of liquid dish soap and four cups of water.

As soon as you become aware that there are bees in the area of your pool, you should rush outside and spray the bees with the soapy solution.

This is one of the best methods because it will eliminate the bees surrounding the pool without the use of potentially dangerous pesticides.

You may notice other bees after 24 to 48 hours; thus, you should continue spraying whenever you see bees near your pool until they are gone.

The sooner you begin doing this, the better results you will see. If you have a large number of bees, they likely have a nest nearby.

To get rid of all of them, you’ll need to use different repellents, which we’ll discuss in more detail later in this article; keep reading!

3. Make Use of Natural Repellents

Make Use Of Natural Repellents

There are certain scents that bees actively try to avoid, and although bees are often attracted to floral scents, there are also some scents that bees deliberately avoid.

These scents include peppermint, spearmint, basil, and thyme, respectively. They also avoid many oils, including lavender, olive, vegetable, and citronella.

PRO TIP

Peppermint and other herbs may be combined with the oils to create a spray that can be applied to the surfaces around your pool.

We recommend you plant cucumbers, wormwood, or eucalyptus next to the pool if a vegetable garden is nearby.

These offer ground cover while also warding off bees and other insects.

4. Make Use of Mothballs

Make Use Of Mothballs

Mothballs are known to have an unpleasant odor, and because of this, they are a preferred repellent method.

Because bees, like many other insects and pests, find the smell of mothballs offensive, using this strategy to rid your house and pool of bees will be effective.

This is an excellent repellent against bees, and the chemicals in the water should conceal the aroma such that it is not noticeable to people.

PRO TIP

Put some mothballs in a fabric bag or pantyhose, then hang them beside the swimming pool.

You can also hang the balls close to the nest. They will instantly leave the nest, and they may never return.

5. Remove All Bright Colours

Remove All Bright Colours

It may seem strange, but this advice has been tried, tested, and shown to be effective: when going to the area of your pool, you should avoid wearing bright colors.

Even though bees do not eat human flesh, they may get confused and even drawn to people wearing shiny, bright, colorful clothing. 

If you want to reduce the likelihood of attracting bees to your pool, you should avoid wearing brightly colored apparel, swimwear, accessories, patio furniture, and towels.

Bees, compared to humans, have a far more diverse color vision. To us, it may appear like a bright yellow towel, but to them, it may look like an appealing sunflower.

6. Alternate Water Supply

Alternate Water Supply - Bird Bath

Bees are attracted to your pool because it offers them a refreshing drink and a way to cool down, so it makes sense why they are attracted to the pools.

No matter the pool type, they will fly around looking for a place to land, and chlorinated water is not a problem.

For this reason, providing bees with an alternate water supply to distract their interest is one of the simplest techniques for keeping them away from a pool.

PRO TIP

We recommend you create another nearby water source, such as a small bird bath, fountain, or even a dish filled with water. 

This will divert them and redirect them to a different spot where they will gladly be able to drink, solving the issue of them getting into the pool and causing a nuisance.

7. Keep Food and Drinks Covered

Keep Food And Drinks Covered

Bees are drawn to areas where people often carry food since this is one of the reasons why they are drawn there.

People normally carry food when visiting their pool. If such is the case, you must ensure that your drinks and meals are properly covered.

The presence of beverages, particularly sticky carbonated beverage cans, can play a significant role in luring these bees to your pool.

We recommend that whenever you consume liquids, you do so from a glass with a lid and that if you consume food, you do so from a container with a lid.

8. Remove Flowers Around Your Pool

Remove Flowers Around Your Pool

Many people know bees are drawn to flowers because they contain sweet nectar.

If you have lovely flowers that generate a lot of pollen or have an enticing aroma, then there is a high probability that bees will surround your pool; thus, it is essential to keep all flowers away from your pool.

However, there are a few plants that you should keep at a safe distance from your swimming pool. These include lavender, bee balm, sunflowers, lilacs, dahlias, and zinnias.

9. Make Use of Bee Traps

Make Use Of Bee Traps

Bee traps are also an efficient method for keeping bees away from your pool, and they can be made with basic, inexpensive home materials.

You will need a stapler, a plastic soda bottle, and a sweet drink to do this DIY.

We recommend you remove the top of a plastic drink bottle, cut it off, and then place it in its bottom so that the cap faces down.

After that, attach the top and bottom sections using staples, and then fill the bottom of the trap with soda or sugar water to entice the bees.

The trap is effective because the bees will be able to enter it but will be unable to exit it again.

10. Hire a Professional Bee Control Expert

Hire A Professional Bee Control Expert

If you’ve tried all the strategies we’ve outlined or cannot do so for one reason or another, don’t worry; there is always a way out, and we’ve got you covered.

You can get rid of the bees by calling in a professional beekeeper, who can identify them and either move them or eliminate them from the area.

In some instances, they may have to dig deeply into the pool ground to find the hidden nest structure and remove it.

The cost of bee removal often ranges between several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the size and scope of the nests.

If you choose to take this way, you should attempt to give the professionals a call as soon as you see bee nests around the pool area.

Conclusion

Bee stings cause allergic reactions and may lead to major complications, including swelling and rarely death if not treated promptly.

The good news is that you can take some easy measures to keep bees away from your pool without harming the honeybees, and these ten methods will accomplish exactly that.

It is not advisable to kill bees since they will only sting you if you provoke them, and they are an essential component of the environment that we live in.

At first glance, it may seem difficult, but if you take the necessary precautions, you should be able to keep bees away from pools.

Bees, on the other hand, are very helpful insects that play a crucial role in our ecosystem. They also provide honey for humans, in addition to pollinating plants and providing several other important functions.

Although most bee stings rarely result in life-threatening cases, they often leave behind unpleasant welts. If these bumps get infected, they can cause severe discomfort to the skin.

Fortunately, there are natural techniques to get rid of bee sting welts, which will be published on your blog soon. Stay tuned!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Are There Bees Around My Pool?

During periods of extreme heat, you may notice bees visiting your pools more often. This is because bees, like humans, need water to survive; the evaporation of heated water helps to cool the hive.

As a result, several bees will leave the colony searching for water. They will also search for mineral salts close to your pool since these may assist their young in hatching and maturing more quickly.

What Can You Use To Repel Bees?

Many different things may be used to ward off bees, but we recommend using citronella, eucalyptus, neem, mint, and cloves. This is because they are simple to grow in containers and do not require much maintenance.

In addition, using bee repellents such as marigold and germanium may be a highly efficient method for keeping them at bay.

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