Putting salt in a pool to get rid of wasps??

[Lori]

My pool man has suggested putting salt in our pool to get rid of wasps.  He isn't sure if it will work, but wants to give it a try.  He says his salt pools don't have wasps around them.  He thinks the wasps won't drink the salt water.

Anybody have any experience with doing this??  I asked my pool man if the salt would have any negative affect on the pool's equipment, tiling, etc. and he said no - can anyone confirm this ?

After reading the other recent thread regarding wasps around pools, we did buy several wasp traps and they do work, but there are still wasps during certain times of the day - mostly between 1500 and 1730 hours each day.

We also saw some sort of liquid chemical at LeRoy Merlin that you put in the pool on a regular basis.  Sorry I cannot remember the name of it now, but it was so expensive we would have been paying hundreds of euros to use it - and we weren't sure if it really would work.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Suze01]

[quote user="Lori"]

My pool man has suggested putting salt in our pool to get rid of wasps.  He isn't sure if it will work, but wants to give it a try.  He says his salt pools don't have wasps around them.  He thinks the wasps won't drink the salt water.

[/quote]

Utter rubbish.  We get wasps drinking in our salt pool.

[Lori]

Thanks Suze.  Do you get many or just a few?  This year, we seem to have literally dozens each afternoon.  I've been stung 3 times.  We actually check the pool for wasps before deciding whether to get in or not.  Certain hours it is just swarming with them.

 

[Poolguy]

Lori

I agree with Suze

Putting salt in the pool water to try to discourage wasps is a non-starter.

Your pool man is just guessing and in this case he is guessing wrongly.

Salt concentrations serve to accelerate the deterioration of fittings and

fixtures around a  pool, if you can avoid the use of salt then you will be

better off.

I cannot offer a definitive solution to this problem other than those already

suggested on other threads. I heard that there were some plants, which

encourage and some which discourage wasps, I cannot remember which is which but

I'll ask the question of the people who know and see what they say.

Certainly, I would hope that there are remedies to this problem, which are available

for a more modest sum than the hundreds you have already found.

Andrew

[Lori]

Thanks so much Poolguy.  I will call our poolman to let him know we don't want to add the salt.  I think he is just trying to help us find a solution.  I'll just keep the wasp traps out there and deal with it.

Yes, I wish the liquid we saw at LeRoy Merlin had been less expensive.  It required continuous usage all summer long which made the price quite high AND, I am told they are now out of it, so if you didn't buy enough for your season, you are out of luck now.

Thanks very much for the advice.  I was apprehensive about adding salt at the offset.  I will make a pass. 

[Suze01]

[quote user="Lori"]

Thanks Suze.  Do you get many or just a few?  This year, we seem to have literally dozens each afternoon.  I've been stung 3 times.  We actually check the pool for wasps before deciding whether to get in or not.  Certain hours it is just swarming with them.

 

[/quote]

Just one or two at a time dipping in, though we have what seems like thousands in the vine on the side of the house at the moment feeding off the flowers.

[Gardian]

Sorry, slight digression from the original thread, but the mention of plants reminded me of something that happened today.

Lunch at a local hotel: buffet a volonte under the trees. All sorts of food being served in the 'open air'.  Not a fly nor a wasp.

I remarked on this to the proprieter, who said plenty of people had mentioned this and that he thought that it was something to do with the planting in that area of the garden (the house and grounds are 150 yrs old).

[Meg]

 Been looking on Internet and found this..........

Take a paper bag as big as your head and blow it up. Tie off the end so

it retains its shape and hang it near where you do not want them to go.

The wasps will think it is an enemy nest and stay away. However, wasps

are not stupid, just a little slow, so when you have finished whatever

it is you do not want the wasps to participate in, take down the bag

otherwise they will see through the ruse.

I can't find anything about plants being a deterrent though.

Now to find a paper bag................I need to go in my mini pool without being harrased!!

Louise

[Gardian]

Louise ............

Sounds really cunning.

You know what you've started now, don't you?  Hundreds of Brits searching for suitable paper bags to blow up ..........    I'll be one of them.

[Meg]

    I can't find one.............[:(]