Bugs in pool birdcage
 

We have a pool and back up to a pond. Our birdcage in inundated with bugs. I vacuumed 821 bugs (yes in counted them) the day after clearing 602. Does everybody have this problem. Home warranty says it’s Florida get use to it. To me that is unacceptable!

Little gnats on the pool surface after it rains

We have our pool for 5 years. We get the little gnats. We have a big silk lined bag we run through the water to remove them. Newest "problem" centipedes. WE deal with it because we want a private pool.

What was home warranty supposed to do????

Have the same problem with the gnats in our pool birdcage and in the water. I hung a powerful bug light at the far end (not over the water) and it has helped a lot, it's on 24/7. And yes, it's Florida, get used to it, the bugs come in all sizes and are almost unstoppable.

I think the bugs are warranted for a year. They will replace any bugs that die within that period :)

Actually I think the warranty promises double your bugs or money back.

:a040:

Wait. The love bugs have arrived.

I really expected more protection from the screening. After all that isn’t that intended purpose, to keep bugs and critters out.

FYI, I have sealed along the bottom of the sell plate, caulked all the concert expansion joint saw cuts and am applying screens to the inside of all the drain channels that extend outside the birdcage. If anyone has any other helpful ideas please let me know. By the way those are all things that I would have expected the builder to have done in the first place. That is what home warranty could have done. And yes I will probably add some type of bug zapper.


Does the bug problem decline in the cooler months? Are you able to open your stacked sliders without having bugs get into your living area? New to Florida and curious.

The knats we experience fall through the top of the lanai cage, mostly just before it rains. In early summer they were worse, the past few weeks have been good. A pool guy told me that 20/20 mesh on the top of the cage would help though I have not investigated. We love the pool. No bugs get into the house and in cooler weather sliders are often open.

We just had a bid for some lanai improvements. One of the options offered was 20/20 no-see-um screening. It was a $500.00 upgrade for the roof, another $500.00 for the walls.

We get the little knats falling through the roof of the birdcage also, but they don't really bother us. We are still trying to figure out how all the dragon flies, frogs, geckos, and occasional snakes manage to find their way into the birdcage? The only critter that we find disturbing is the occasional snake. We always do a snake check before going in the pool. We only get a snake in the pool once or twice a year, but when it happens it is very creepy. I am not afraid of too many things, but snakes and ticks are on the top of the list.

May I ask where you got your silk lined bag? Sometimes the gnats are horrible! The regular net the pool company provides doesn’t trap the gnats very well. They go right through the net when skimming...☹️

Silk Bag
 

I bought it at T&D in Colony Plaza. Bigger than the skimming net. You can sweep large areas and it has made cleaning out the gnats much easier.

What is the name of the company and if you have a phone number that would be appreciated. Thx.

The contractor is Kilcrease Construction. 352-748-3600. We haven't yet contracted with them, but they have a good reputation.

Keep in mind the $500.00 is the upgrade cost. Replacing your screen will likely be higher.

Do you have lights on at night in you're bird cage? If so? The light probably drawing the bugs in.

How does snake get in? Eventually the gaps aren't sealed very good somewhere? I would take flashlight out at night and shine it on bottom frame where it meets the concrete. Little light shinning through probably ok. Deer in the headlight light shinning through from the other side my be the gap you're looking for?

"O" some of the insect can come up out of the drain if you have on inside the birdcage?

Just as a follow up. We have seemingly won the battle of the bugs. We have hundreds of moths, love bugs and even butterflies. I finally glued screen material to the inside of each of the drain channels where they extended outside of
the birdcage.

This to me is a design flaw that should be addressed by the installer. Not a difficult fix, but a world of difference.

Those screens will eventually clog, and cause drainage issues.

replace your screen if it is standard it could very well be 18/14 screen my neighbor just went with 20/20 for the side panels and 20/30 for the roof panels all his bugs are now where they belong OUTSIDE the birdcage

When we built our pool and cage we had the tighter webbed screen installed just to keep the knats out and any thing larger. So glad we did.

I don’t know how the snakes get in, but they can. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’s not fun. I did put in a bug attractor outside away from the lanai, and it has worked well.

email customer service: God@goodheavens.com and complain about His niece, mother nature. :D

I think the snakes are slipping in between the aluminum framing of the bird cage and the openings in the siding on the house. I plan to fill the openings with some clear caulking so it won't look bad and hopefully that will keep out the snakes. I only plan to fill the first few openings from the decking since I doubt the snakes will slither up the siding to find a higher opening. If that doesn't work, back to the drawing board. Until then, we will do a snake check in the pool before swimming.

As a follow up...does the tighter weave of the pool (20/20) add more shade? Does that affect the temperature of the pool?

Snakes give me chills, just writing the word gives me chills. Do you know what kind of snakes are getting in? Assuming you have a regular pest control contract or company, don't they do a check to seal all possible critter entrances?

The snakes are little black ones, not sure what kind but they give me the creeps. Glad the bigger ones can not manage to get in. Pest control companies put down pesticides and traps, they don't seal critter enterances, but they will give you advice on how to do it yourself. Our birdcage abuts a wildlife preserve, so I guess the wonderful privacy comes along with the critters living in the preserve.

Can you see through 20/20 screen? we live on pond.

I have 20/20 mesh. No Bugs!

We also have 20/20 screen, but also our pool builder suggested that we put those bath "poufs" that are made out of mesh netting where the floor drains are open on the sides of the lanai. Really cut down on the bugs (and snakes) that use the floor drains as a means of entry.

Interesting, but what exactly are bath "poufs", I want to get some.