Bugs are one of the biggest annoyances that pool owners face. Other problems, like imbalanced pH or a leaky pump may cause problems behind the scenes, but bugs in the pool are actively annoying. They turn off your guests and are just gross to be around.

So how do you get rid of bugs?

 Getting rid of midges

 Midges are small flies that hatch in bunches near water. Typically they migrate from nearby ponds, lakes or rivers to swimming pools and hatch in your pool.

The first thing you should do is make sure your pool has the right level of chlorine and is getting good circulation. Get a pool cover if you don't plan on using the pool for an extended period of time. This applies to getting rid of any kind of bugs.

For midges specifically, place a few strong lights about 20 feet away from the pool. Turn off all the lights under the pool at night. The light will attract the midges and prevent them from "finding" the pool.

In addition, trim the grass around the pool. This prevents midges from flying to and hiding in the grass, as well as prevents them from laying eggs in the grass.

 Dump the Catch

 Every day, before you turn off the filtration system, take the catch-net and dump it out.

If you turn off the filtration system without dumping out the catch-net, bugs that were caught in the net will be able to escape back out into your pool.

Emptying the catch-net allows you to leverage your filtration system as a real tool for getting rid of bugs.

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 Get Rid of Their Food

 Some bugs just can't be killed by chlorine. The best way to get rid of these bugs is to get rid of their food. 

There are two main food sources to think about.

First, algae. Use algaecide to kill the algae in your pool. Maintain a 7.2 to 7.6 pH level and keep your chlorine at the appropriate levels. This will help prevent algae from growing and prevent algae-eating bugs from growing in your pool.

The second food source is small bugs. Use your dip-net to fish out small bugs whenever you see them. This prevents bigger bugs from growing, as you're removing their food source.

 Dish Detergent

 One simple solution is to just turn on one light in your pool and toss in 4-5 teaspoons of dish detergent near the light.

Bugs will be attracted to the light, get covered in the soap and die from being unable to breath through the soap coating.

Note that this doesn't get rid of the underlying causes of the bugs, it just kills the bugs once.

These are a few different ways to get rid of the bugs in your pool. Ideally you should address the underlying causes of the bugs first, before you kill them once and for all.

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