Destroy Mosquito Eggs In Pool In 8 Easy Steps

Let’s face it. Your swimming pool is a magnet to mosquitoes. 

The water is stagnant, there are lights around the pool, and the pool is wide enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of mosquito eggs.

In this guide, you’ll find the reasons for mosquito eggs in pool.

You’ll get to know why a mosquito lays eggs in the pool and what attracts mosquitoes to your pool.

Plus, you’ll also learn 8 easy-to-implement steps to get rid of mosquitoes, their eggs, and their larvae in the pool forever.

Keep reading.

Reasons For Mosquito Eggs In Pool

A swimming pool in your property increases the chances of mosquito infestation in your home manifold. 

And all these mosquitoes wouldn’t have been in your home or apartment if there’s no place for them to lay eggs.

The go-to place for mosquitoes to lay eggs is the stagnant water. 

The biggest stagnant water body in your yard for the mosquitoes to lay eggs is your swimming pool.

So, why do mosquitoes lay eggs in the pool? There are two interconnected reasons for it. 

• The first reason is the pool is dirty with organic matter like algae in it.
• And the second reason is water is essential for the mosquito eggs to hatch. 

Upon hatching, the larvae, also known as wigglers, feed on dirt like the algae and the organic matter in the swimming pool. 

And these wigglers breathe by floating on the water’s surface. 

Most of the swimming pools don’t have fish and fountains. 

That makes the water surface stable and apt for the mosquitoes to lay eggs.

It’s not only on the swimming pool water that mosquitoes will lay eggs. 

If there’s a pond in your yard with no fountain or mosquito-eating fish, then mosquitoes will lay eggs there too.

A pool can get dirty for many reasons, which you’d find out later in the post. 

But for now, keep in mind that an ill-maintained pool will always attract mosquitoes and other water bugs.

Now that the reasons for mosquito eggs in a pool are clear. 

The obvious question in your head is, what attracts mosquitoes to your swimming pool?

The following section answers your question. 

What Attracts Mosquitoes To Swimming Pools?

Ironically, your swimming pool isn’t solely responsible for attracting mosquitoes. 

Other elements in your yard also play a role in drawing those mosquitoes to the swimming pool.

And what are those elements?

From the plants in your yard to high dampness, there are many. Let’s have a look at them. 

Top 5 things that play a role in attracting mosquitoes to your pool.

Plants Around The Pool And In The Yard

If you’ve got a swimming pool, then it’s highly probable that there’s vegetation around the swimming pool. 

Certain plants draw mosquitoes. And most of these plants are flower-bearing plants.

In our knowledge and experience, here are the plants that attract mosquitoes.

• Water lilies
• Water hyacinths
• Taro
• Papyrus
• Almost all flower-bearing plants

Water lilies and water hyacinths are common plants that many homeowners plant in their ponds. 

They produce some gorgeous flowers and make the pond look beautiful. 

But mosquitoes love them too.

In fact, most flowers have nectar. And all the nectar-producing plants emit carbon dioxide.

And carbon dioxide attracts mosquitoes. You don’t have to get rid of flower plants.

Further down the post, you’ll find out how to get rid of mosquito eggs and mosquito larvae in the pool.

The fact is that carbon dioxide is an attractor of biting bugs to the human body. 

When you exhale carbon dioxide, it attracts biting bugs like mosquitoes, bed bugs, and even kissing bugs.

So, if you’ve got many plants with flowers in your yard, especially around the pool, there’ll be mosquitoes.

The closer these plants are to the pool, the higher the possibility of mosquitoes discovering your swimming pool.

And when mosquitoes discover a big pool, that’s prime real estate for them to breed and lay eggs.

High Levels Of Dampness Around The Pool

Overwatering the yard and the perimeter around the pool is a big reason for high levels of dampness.

And when the dampness levels increase, it attracts mosquitoes and invasive bugs like ants, roaches, and even termites.

Overwatering also leads to waterlogging in the yard and potholes with stagnant water. 

These are ideal places for mosquitoes to lay eggs. 

Inadequate Drainage Systems And Water Leakages

Poor drainage systems around the pool and water leakages cause waterlogging.

And, to add to it, if there are catch basins choked and clogged in your yard, mosquitoes will indeed inhabit these places.

Poor drainage systems won’t allow rainwater in your yard to pass through, leading to an increase in dampness levels.

Water will also get stagnant in trash bins, clogged gutters, and rotting tires and garbage near the pool, creating a breeding place for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

These places, being small, won’t be able to accommodate so many mosquitoes that reach your yard to multiply.

The result? 

Mosquitoes will target your pool and lay eggs in the swimming pool.

Add a water pond with flowers and without any fish and fountain, and you just made it a haven for mosquitoes.

Poor Swimming Pool Filtration And Water Circulation System

As you know by now, that mosquitoes lay eggs on stagnant water. 

Although pool water seems to be standstill in the swimming pool, the pool filtration and circulation system purifies and rotates the water.

That creates a whirl motion in the pool water, which keeps the pool water clean. 

But when the pool water filtration and circulation don’t work, the pool water is stagnant.

Stagnant water causes the formation of algae, and of course, makes your swimming pool a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

If the pool is unused and has been lying idle without a pool cover for a few weeks, organic debris will get deposited in the swimming pool.

That’s an icing on the cake for mosquitoes.

So, after knowing all the reasons for mosquito eggs in the pool and what attracts these mosquitoes to your swimming pool, the most obvious question is how you would know mosquito eggs are floating on the pool water?

Let’s find out if you can.

Can You See Mosquito Eggs In Pool?

The truth is, you can’t see mosquito eggs floating on the pool water. 

Mosquito eggs are tiny. They’re only 0.8 mm in size. You’d need a strong magnifying glass or a microscope to see them.

Spotting them with a naked eye on the swimming pool water surface with a blue pool floor makes it very difficult, if not impossible.

When mosquitoes lay their eggs on the water’s surface, those eggs are white. 

After 24 hours, these eggs turn black. 

So, if you’re unlucky, and your pool is filthy and lying neglected for weeks, then you’d see notice tiny black clusters of mosquito eggs floating on the pool’s surface. 

Or, you’d notice tiny white tadpoles like wigglers on the pool water’s surface. 

These wigglers are mosquito larvae that have hatched out of the eggs. 

These larvae will feed on the algae or debris in the pool, and they’ll rise to the water’s surface to breathe.

There are four stages in a mosquito’s lifecycle. These are egg, larva, pupa, and the adult stage.

Mosquito larvae build a cocoon around themselves before they emerge out of it as an adult. That life cycle stage when the mosquito larva creates a cocoon is known as the pupa stage.

But before they get into the pupae life stage, the mosquito larvae will molt three times.

Molting is the process when a bug or larva sheds its skin to get new skin so that it can accommodate its growing size.

The mosquito larva will molt three times before it builds a cocoon. 

After each molt, the larva gets bigger than its previous size. 

The bigger larva after each process of molting is known as an instar. 

The larva after the third and the final molting is known as the third instar. At this third instar stage, the larva builds a cocoon or enters the pupa life cycle stage.

In 2-3 days, adult mosquitoes emerge out of the pupae. The entire life cycle of mosquitoes, from laying eggs in the pool water to adult mosquitoes coming out of the pupae, takes 8-10 days.

So, if you neglect your pool even for a week, and if the conditions are there to attract mosquitoes in the pool, your pool will be a mosquito breeding center point.

So, what to do? How to stop mosquitoes from laying eggs in the swimming pool? 

In the next section, you’ll find out how to get rid of mosquito eggs, mosquito larvae and secure your pool from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

How To Get Rid Of Mosquito Eggs And Mosquito Larvae In Pool

In this section, you’ll find an 8 step to get rid of mosquito eggs and mosquito larvae in the pool. 

There are also essential tips to maintain your swimming pool that will forever solve the mosquito problem in your pool.

Check them out. 

Use Skimmer To Remove The Wigglers And Debris From The Pool Water

Let’s start with the basics without making things complicated. 

Before you take any step, turn off the pool filter and the pool pump to stop the water circulation system.

To begin with, use a skimmer on the surface of the pool water. Scoop out the needle-like wiggling mosquito larvae from the water’s surface. 

Put these tadpoles in a trash bin, and pour some bleach on them. 

The larvae will die instantly. 

Do not pour any bleach into your pool. Many websites recommend pouring bleach in the pool to kill mosquito and swimming pool bugs.

We don’t recommend that approach. It’s because bleach is highly corrosive. 

Bleach in the swimming pool water will make swimming in the pool risky, and it’ll also damage the pool filtration and drainage system. 

Clean Your Swimming Pool To Remove Algae And Debris

Had there been no algae or debris in the swimming pool, the mozzie larvae would have been dead by themselves.

It’s because there wouldn’t have been anything in your pool for them to eat. 

So, clean your swimming pool to remove all the floating debris and, especially, algae.

You can use a swimming pool cleaner to clean the pool. The automatic ones are the best and the most reliable.

While cleaning, don’t forget to clean the pool drains. 

Tons of debris get stuck around the pool drains because of the water circulation.

Do Pool Shock To Kill The Floating Mosquito Eggs And Any Larvae Left Behind

Shocking the pool means adding massive amounts of chlorine to the pool water. 

The process kills the mosquito eggs, which you can’t see with the naked eye.

People wonder if pool shock kills mosquito larvae and mosquito eggs in the pool. Yes, it does. 

But you’d need to add a generous amount of chlorine to your pool.

How much chlorine?

For every 1000 gallons of pool water, you’d need 1 ounce of chlorine. That’ll increase the PPM level of the water in the pool to 7 PPM, which will kill the mosquito eggs and any larvae left behind in the first step. 

Shock chlorination also kills algae in the pool. 

But, one piece of caution. Don’t swim in the pool water after shock chlorination.

Why?

The safe level of chlorine in water is 1 PPM to 3 PPM. And it takes 48-50 hours for the chlorine levels in water to get back to normal after the shock chlorination process.

You can use a pH level meter to check the pool’s PPM levels and determine if it’s safe for swimming. 

To remove the algae in the pool, use an algaecide to kill any algae in the pool. 

Other alternatives to shock chlorination are mosquito dunks and mosquito granules. 

You may use them too. But chlorination is a better process for getting rid of mosquito eggs in the pool and their larvae.

Mosquito dunks and mosquito granules will not dissolve in the water, making the pool cleaning tedious. On top of it, both of them are mosquito specific. 

Chlorination takes care of algae and other types of swimming pool bugs, including mosquitoes.

To wrap this process up, again clean the pool’s floor with a pool cleaner.

Turn On The Pool Pump And The Pool Filter To Circulate The Water

Now that you have taken care of the mosquito larvae and their eggs in the pool, there are a few more steps to take.

These steps will ensure that you don’t face the mosquito problem in your pool in the longer run.

After cleaning, immediately turn on the pool filter and pool pump. 

Mosquitoes don’t lay eggs in running water. So, keeping the pool pump off will make the water stagnant, which can invite mosquitoes.

Check for no clogging in the pool drainage system. If there’s any, clean the drainage system to allow free flow of water.

Let the system run for at least an hour.

Keep Flower Pots Or Plants From The Pool’s Perimeter At A Safe Distance

Vegetation and flower plants around the pool look lovely. They add beauty around the swimming.

But flower plants attract mosquitoes. And if there are flower pots and plants around the pool’s perimeter, then for sure mosquitoes will land up in the pool.

The most appropriate distance between the plants and the pool’s perimeter is 10 feet. 

Also, if there’s any overgrown vegetation around the pool, remove them. 

These overgrown bushes and shrubs harbor ants. These ants will land up in the pool and form clusters of ants in the pool.

Install Bug Lights And Mosquito Zappers Around The Pool

Lights around the pool attract bugs like water boatman and backswimmers, which also land in the pool. 

You don’t want that to happen because backswimmers will you if you swim in a pool full of them. 

Both these bugs also breed and lay eggs in the pool. 

Installing LED lights and/or sodium bulbs around your pool will not attract these bugs. 

Also, it’d be best if you install mosquito zappers at each of the four corners of the pool. These mosquito zappers will kill any mosquitoes that land on them. 

Do Not Overwater Your Yard Or The Area Around The Pool

Overwatering increases the dampness levels. It also causes waterlogging creating potholes filled with stagnant water.

That’s what mosquitoes love. The mosquitoes will lay eggs in these sections of stagnant water, and they’ll also land up in your pool.

If there’s any water leakage in your yard or the area around the pool, fix it.

Water leakage also increases the dampness.

A damp yard with a swimming pool is a go-to place for all types of bugs and pests, including invasive pests like roaches, ants, and termites.

Check if the drainage system in the yard is working fine. If there’s a catch basin in your yard, clean it.

Catch basins are also one of the favorite places for the mosquitoes to 

So, don’t overwater your yard or the area around the pool. You’ll have one less thing to worry about.

And Finally, Maintain Cleanliness In And Around Your Swimming Pool

There’s no better way to keep bugs away from your pool and your home than cleanliness. 

Keep the lawns manicured, bushes trimmed, and don’t allow waterlogging and organic debris to accumulate. 

If there are trash bins in your yard or around your pool, ensure the waste in it doesn’t lie for days. Empty the trash cans often too.

If there’s mulch in your yard or around the pool, ensure that it’s bug-free. 

Using the wrong type of mulch will not only attract bugs, but also it’ll make bugs use it as their food.

So, it’d be best if you the correct type of mulch in your yard and near your pool.

Keep firewood piles away from your pool. Firewoods act as a host to biting bugs like ants and kissing bugs. 

And, not to mention, a firewood pile is one of the favorite homes for termites and roaches.

Clean your pool often, at least once in two weeks. Regularly check the pool filtration and drainage systems for any issues.

And always use a pool cover. If you’re not swimming in the pool during the evening hours, keep the pool covered.

Also, don’t leave your pool uncovered during the rains. Rainwater can bring a lot of debris, and bugs along with it, inside the swimming pool.

Can Mosquitoes Breed In Salt Water Pools?

Saltwater swimming pools are gaining in popularity because of lower maintenance costs and low chlorine smell. 

Certain species of mosquitoes breed in saltwater pools.

Two of the most common species are Aedes taeniorhynchus (also known as Saltwater mosquito) and the dangerous Asian Tiger mosquito that spreads diseases like encephalitis.

Many believe that the saltwater pool doesn’t attract mosquitoes because they can’t survive when they ingest the salty water.

That’s wrong. 

Research has shown that salty water ingestion doesn’t kill the saltwater mosquitoes. 

Avoid any products that claim to kill mosquito eggs and larvae in the saltwater swimming pool. 

Saltwater mosquitoes are common in California and Florida. 

More and more people are complaining about the sudden increase of these mosquitoes, including the Asian Tiger mosquito.

Is It Safe To Swim In The Swimming Pool With Mosquito Larvae?

Yes, it is safe to swim in the swimming pool with wiggling mosquito larvae in it.

Mosquito larvae don’t and can’t bite. Their proboscis isn’t developed to sting and suck out blood at the larvae stage.

But why would you want to swim in a pool full of mosquito larvae? 

They’re tiny, and they can slip into your nose and ears.

It’d be best to get rid of them from your pool rather than swimming in a pool with mosquito larvae in it.

Conclusion

Mosquitoes will lay eggs in your pool and breed if you leave the pool dirty with the factors that draw mosquitoes to the swimming pool.

In this guide, you’ve found out why mosquitoes lay eggs in the pool and how to get rid of mosquito eggs and mosquito larvae in the pool.

Plus, you got a deep insight into the issues that cause mosquitoes in the pool. 

There’s a step-by-step guide in this post that you can follow to stop your swimming pool from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

But, if you’ve got a swimming pool, it’s not only the mosquitoes that you’ve to deal with.

Read our post on types of swimming pool bugs. 

It has a list of bugs that not only can damage your swimming pool but also can make swimming in your pool painful.