Tips To Keep Your Arizona Pool Bee-Free
Tired of bees ruining your backyard fun? This common problem is one that just about every swimming pool owner in the southwest has to deal with at some point.
It typically happens during the warmer months when the insects are looking for water, which is a key way in which they keep their hives cooled down and from melting in the hot desert sun.
Thankfully, there are a variety of ways you can keep them away from your swimming pool. Here are five of our best tips to help you keep your Arizona pool bee-free all year long.
1. Provide an Alternate Water Source
One of the most common reasons why bees gravitate towards your swimming pool is that they’re looking for a water source. Here in the desert, that can become difficult to find, which means your awesome backyard looks like a big ‘ol giant watering hole.
To keep this from happening, consider offering an alternative water source. This can be something as simple as a big bucket of water or even a decorative bird bath situated away from your pool.
Just remember that bees cannot land on the surface of the water to drink, so they’ll need something to perch on. Smooth river rocks that stand just above the water level are a good choice, but there are many others you can try, too.
2. Use Essential Oils
Those wonderful essential oils you use inside your home are an excellent way to keep bees from visiting your pool, as well. Add a few drops of oil to a spray bottle of water and shake vigorously.
Every couple days, mist items around your pool like chairs, floats, toys, and others. The scent from the oils is a deterrent to bees, which can keep them away for short bursts. You can also bring your diffuser outdoors and plug it in on a patio or porch to help the cause.
Peppermint, eucalyptus, thyme, and spearmint are good oils to use. Citrus scents like lemon and bergamot are also good choices, but don’t work as well as those we’ve previously mentioned.
3. Use Dryer Sheets
As a simple do-it-yourself home hack, you can add baskets of dryer sheets around your pool area to help prevent bees from approaching. This works somewhat similar to the essential oil trick in that bees are naturally deterred by the aroma, especially when the sheets heat up in the summer sun.
Add a few in baskets or colorful pots around your pool area. This is an excellent way to liven up your area while still deterring certain insects. Just make sure you’re using scented dryer sheets and not the unscented kind.
It is also important to remember that they lose their strength as time goes on. Replace them every five to seven days for best results.
4. Add Plants to Your Yard
While lemongrass and mint are definitely not native to the Sonoran desert, they can be an excellent way to help keep your pool free from bees. Add large planters around the pool decking and plant a few of these around the area.
The bees aren’t fans of the aroma that the plants give off, which means they’ll typically steer clear or go elsewhere to look for water. The only downside to this is that you’ll have to remember to constantly water them, as they don’t tend to hold up to 100-degree temperatures without a little extra love.
This does require quite a few plants, too. Make sure you’re adding the pots to all of the corners of your pool to help create that barrier you’re looking for.
5. Look Around for Nests
Sometimes bees are around your pool because they’ve taken up residence somewhere in your yard. All honey bees in Arizona are actually Africanized hybrids, so it is important to “bee” carefully when you take this step.
Check around your home for areas where you might find five or more bees. Commonly, they want to nest in rooftop eaves, walls, tree trunks, saguaros, or anywhere else they can find a cool place to build a hive.
A good time to look around is either right at dawn or right at dusk when most of the bees are either leaving or returning to the hive.
Wrap Up: How to Keep Bees Away Your Arizona Pool
Living in Arizona means that many of us have the ability to enjoy a backyard swimming pool all year long thanks to the warm weather. However, the task of keeping bees away from where our families enjoy a little fun in the sun can be somewhat challenging. With these five tips, you can help keep these little insects from being a buzzkill at your next swim session.
Still concerned about bees in your yard or near your home? Our team at Buzz Tech AZ Professional Bee Removal is here to help. Please contact us today for more information.
