Help! Bees Are in My Pool!

The weather is heating up, and everyone loves taking a dip in the pool to cool off. The pool is like a tourist attraction in your backyard, community, or neighborhood! As children, teens, families, and grown-ups head to the pool to stay cool this summer, the last thing you want to find is bees and wasps stuck in the pool. A pool skimmer can be used to remove bees from the pool. If they are still moving around, take care to safely remove them from the pool without putting yourself at risk. Bees need water to survive, and if there isn't enough fresh water around, they end up in the pool. Bees are simply looking for resources to use and take them back to their hive, but it can still be unsightly when you plan on jumping in but need to spend time getting bees out of the pool.

A Natural Bee Repellent Can Help

Although a screened-in pool would be difficult to keep bees out of, many natural and non-toxic repellents can deter bees from landing in your pool. Homemade bee repellents can be sprayed around your pool using natural oils and ingredients that bees dislike. Bees have incredible olfactory senses, and they can tell when you have cinnamon spray around the pool. Bees also dislike peppermint, so planting peppermint in pots and spraying it around the pool can help keep bees and wasps at bay.

An effective bee and wasp repellent doesn’t have to be expensive or toxic. A spray bottle and some oils can make a fun summer project for students, too!

Give the Bees What They Need

One of the best ways to encourage bees to stay away from the pool is to provide alternative sources of accessible fresh water near their flight path or hive. Bees use tracking to remember how to exit and enter their hive, and they are creatures of habit. If you observe bees leaving the hive or an area and can place some water in their path, they won’t need to come to the pool.

Bees can’t swim, so when water is available to them, they appreciate little twigs, rocks, pieces of sponge, or a wine bottle cork to perch upon. The fact that they can’t swim is why they are often discovered struggling to stay alive when they are found in the pool. A shallow pie pan, or even a bucket with some longer sticks, can be handy for bees as they use water to regulate the hive's temperature. Creating these water stops for bees can be another fun way to get creative this summer, get the kids involved, and come up with some innovative ways to help bees.

Avoid Bee Attractions

Something bees and wasps end up in, even when people don’t want them there, is hummingbird feeders. Hummingbird feeders often have a sugary syrup inside, which is precisely what beekeepers use to supplement bee food in extreme weather. So, why wouldn’t bees think it was for them and come over for some? If you want a hummingbird feeder, place it away from the pool and keep it away from anywhere you don’t like bees to frequent. Bees are genuinely looking out for their queen and will take risks and do whatever it takes to get what they need to survive.

Have Beehives Professionally Removed

If there is an active beehive near your home or on your property, it may be necessary to have it professionally removed to ensure the safety of your family. It is critical to acknowledge that there are two approaches to beehive removal, and one is not acceptable. Only humane and live bee removals should be performed, as bees are essential to pollination, and every effort should be made to preserve them in scenarios where they need to be removed. Companies like D-Tek Bee Removal have the experience, trained bee technicians, and necessary equipment to safely remove beehives from an area and relocate the bees to new homes. Beekeepers work diligently to rehome displaced bees, whether from a truck that has been turned over on the road, a beekeeper who has to walk away from their hobby, or a family with an enormous beehive on their property and a child who is allergic.