Salt Water Swimming Pool & Water Bugs..Earwig Problem

by Annie
(Canada)

I have a salt water inground pool with a vinyl lining. I also have an earwig problem.

I am wondering if there is any risk to spraying the rim of the pool with diluted biodegradable environmentally friendly dish soap to get rid of the earwigs hiding in the dead-space just above the water line.

Please help,earwigs freak me out :-(

P.S. Diluted dish soap kills earwigs within 30 sec

Thanks for your question Annie

I have heard of people using dish soap (in a bottle with water) to kill all kinds of bugs. We use it to freeze flies when they get into the house as the soap adheres to their wings so they can't fly away. It make it much easier to kill them.

From what I know, many pool owners have poured about 1/4 cup of soap directly into their pool at night, then turn the pool light on. The water bugs and earwigs are then drawn to the light and drown. You go out the next morning and scoop them out.

If you use too much soap (and too much is debatable) you run the risk of the swimming pool bubbling up with the soap residue. But for having any long-term problems or issues, when the soap used is controlled and used sparingly, I'm not aware of any.

Have you thought about spraying around the deck as well? I do know that DE (Diatomaceous Earth) is excellent for keeping ants away. It might help with your earwig problem.

Thanks for the question and I hope this helps

Robert