Bugs in a hot tub? Super annoying! These insects can sometimes be hard to deal with. In addition, they return even after clearing them from the environment, making it even more frustrating.
Packing them out of the tub is not the best way to keep them away, as others will still find their way in. However, handling and deterring their invasion isn’t as difficult as many think.
In this guide, we will discuss five foolproof strategies to help keep them away from your hot tub permanently.
Bugs are one stubborn insect to deal with around hot tubs. This is primarily because water bodies and their environs naturally attract them.
An effective bug-deterring plan must include the following:
- First, keep your tub clean and dry always.
- Cover your hot tub tightly after each use.
- Always keep the lights around your hot tub off at night. If the lights must be on, you can dim them instead.
Above are three effective tips you can add to your bug-deterring arsenal. Keep reading the guide to learn more!
The following sections will discuss five practical and effective strategies to keep hot tubs bug-free. Also, we will answer some common questions about bug invasion in and around hot tubs.
5 Ways To Keep Bugs Out of Hot Tubs
Finding bugs in or around your hot tub isn’t so out of place, especially if there is nothing to keep them away. They are enough discomfort, and you don’t have to share your tub with them.
Below, we consider five practical ways to keep them away:
1. Maintain a Clean and Tidy Hot Tub
The first thing to ensure is to keep your tub bug-free is to keep it clean. Keep your tub neat always, not just when you expect visitors or clients.
Using hot tubs for hangouts and relaxation sometimes leaves it all messy afterward.
The messed-up state is an open invitation to bug – and trust me – they will never reject the invite. Thus, ensure you remove every dirt in and around your tub after each use.
Keeping your hot tub tidy also involves turning out used water. Bugs and other insects are attracted to moisture. So, don’t just keep your tub clean – ensure the surface is dry too.
After every use, empty your hot tub and scorch it properly.
2. Rid Your Tub of Algae
Algae is a greenish substance found in water. Frequent exposure to sunlight and chemical imbalance in chlorine and bromine levels are significant sponsors of algae.
To confirm the presence of algae on your tub, slide your palm on its surface. A slimy and sticky feeling by the tub’s sides is a sure sign of algae growth.
Aside from the presence of algae in a hot tub can be irritating, discomforting, and infectious, it sustains your tub’s unwanted guests – bugs. As we noted earlier, bugs enjoy hanging around wet environments.
These insects feed on liquid – since algae have a slimy texture, bugs find it easy to consume them together with the water in the tub.
To eliminate algae in your tub, clean and scrub the sides thoroughly until the greenish stuff is off. Then, properly sanitize with chlorine before filling up the tub with water.
To prevent new algae growth, keep your tub dry always. Stable water exposed to constant sunlight produces algae. Also, ensure that the tub is tightly closed when not in use.
3. Get a Tub Cover
Hot tubs are best outdoors. The refreshing natural air makes for a great time in the tub. But this location has its disadvantages.
One is that it opens the tub to dirt and debris. Another thing is that it gives bugs express access to the tub anytime, any day.
So, to keep your hot tub bug-free, it would greatly help to introduce a tub cover. Covers are made for protection and safekeeping. But you cannot successfully keep bugs away without a cover on your tub.
A hot tub cover seals the tub tightly and shuts the door against dirt and stubborn creatures like bugs.
Fortunately, most hot tubs come with covers. But if yours doesn’t have one, you can get a fitting cover from any local store around you.
Ensure it stays closed when not in use. Covering up your tub is an effective maintenance and preventive strategy for a bug-free tub.
4. Set Up a Mini Garden
Keeping your tub clean, dry, and covered is good – however, they are not enough to keep bugs at bay permanently. You must take a step further to keep them away from your environment.
Even if you successfully eliminated them from your hot tub, it won’t take long for them to return if they are still in the environment.
To permanently frighten these unwanted guests from your environment, you can set up a mini garden around the hot tub. There are several plants with natural bug-repelling properties.
These plants release scents that make the environment inhabitable for bugs. So instead of using chemical-based sprays, you can plant these plants and leave their natural bug-deterring odors to do the job.
These plants include rosemary, lavender, thyme, geraniums, etc.
Besides frightening away bugs from your hot tub, growing these plants will also help beautify your environment. So, it is a win-win situation for you. Your environment will be bug-free and more attractive.
5. Keep the Lights Off
Bugs are attracted to light. White and blue-colored lights, to be precise, attract bugs at night. You can take advantage of their hatred for bright lights to keep them away.
To deter bugs from your hot tub, you either turn off the lights around the area or dim it during night hours.
However, leaving the lights on may be helpful if your tub is already bug-invaded. In this case, focus the lights on a spot in the hot tub to have all the bugs in the same place. This way, you can now kill and dispose of them by morning.
Conclusion
Bugs are naturally attracted to wet and swampy areas. Since the hot tub provides these, these insects will gladly share the appliance with you to survive. Above, we discussed five practical strategies to deter them.
Of primary importance, ensure your hot tub is clean, tidy, and dry always. Also, remember to place a cover over the tub when it is not in use.
For long-term effects, it would help if you planted natural bug repellants like rosemary, thyme, and lavender around your tub.
There is always the temptation to loosen up when the bugs are finally away.
Don’t fall for this! Bugs will find their way back if they find your tub condition a haven for them. The last thing you want is an unending bug invasion around your hot tub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bugs Live in Hot Tubs?
Obviously, yes. Bugs move toward watered habitats, and hot tubs are not exempt. So if you are fond of leaving water in your tub, be ready to deal with their invasion.
As we said earlier, stagnant water, over time, can produce algae. Bugs will gladly feed on the moisture and growing algae on the tub sides.
Why Are There Bugs in My Hot Tub?
Bugs in your hot tub mean the space is habitable for them. But, like every one of us, bugs also want a comfortable home. Several things can make them comfortable. Some are:
- Presence of light around the tub.
- Dampness around the tub surround.
- Presence of dirt and algae on the tub sides.
Do Bugs Like Hot Tubs?
Emphatically, yes! Your hot tub and spa have everything a bug needs for comfort.
The hidden spaces in hot tubs provide a warm covering for bugs. That is why you should always be proactive in keeping your tub clean, dry, and covered.
