How To Keep Worms Out Of Your Pool

Pool Care Chapters

The application of crushed limestone selectively placed at the perimeter of your pool will raise the pH level of your soil and deter worms from entering the pool.

If you need to know how to get rid of worms from your pool, you’ve come to the right page. There are not many things more disgusting than coming across a red or brown slimy worm bobbing a couple of inches from your face. 

Before you start, you should know that it’s not easy to get rid of worms completely. Using a combination of the methods below should have a great effect, but it will be unlikely that your worm problem will entirely disappear.

What Drives the Worms to Your Pool

Worms do not prefer to be above ground. Generally, they only pierce the surface if they’re survival depends upon it. Freezing soil or a heavy rainfall are the usual reasons. If you live in an area that commonly encounters these conditions, you’ve probably already noticed the pattern.

How to Keep the Worms Away

If you’re experiencing a large amount of worms in your pool there are a few more methods that you can try to limit the overall amount of worms that make their way into your swimming area.

Use a Pool Cover

If you were to purchase a pool cover exclusively for keeping worms out of your pool, we would say to use one of the other solutions. However, a pool cover is an investment that provides many benefits that extend beyond this one worm issue. According to Energy.gov:

  • Conserves 30% to 50% water
  • Reduces Dirt and Debris
  • Reduces Chemical Consumption by 35% to 60%

Additionally, pool covers can do a lot to mitigate other pest problems: alligators, mosquito eggs, and those annoying ducks that bring disease and poop. 

Apply Crushed Limestone

Worms are very sensitive to the PH balance of their environment. Adding crushed limestone around the perimeter of your pool will raise the PH of the soil. When the worms encounter the higher PH, they often turn around and slither in another direction.

When applying the limestone, be aware of where it will flow during a rainstorm. If washed into the pool, it will throw off your pool chemistry. If you think that the limestone may have leaked into the pool, you should probably give the water a quick test to prevent issues.

Use Insecticide

Sometimes insecticides can be useful. However, we feel the need to give a bit of a warning before you go out and buy some for the worms. Insecticides will help with the worms, but they damage everything. Insecticides are a shotgun blast rather than precision weapons. They harm a lot more than just the insects. They poison the soil, water, vegetation, birds, and fish.

Most importantly, we want you to know how insecticides can affect you. Many studies have shown that insecticides have a direct link to cases of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, and birth defects. It’s not a good substance to have around if there is an alternative.

Okay, we can talk about the potential benefits now that we’ve got the warning out of the way. This is a very effective solution. Anything within the spray zone will die, and anything living in the vicinity will evacuate as quickly as possible. 

Move Your Landscaping

Depending on your current setup, this next solution could be a bit too extreme to solve a worm problem. Separating your pool from the soil by a distance of 20 feet will eliminate most of your worm issues. Worms prefer dirt to concrete and find it difficult to move across such a large distance. If you have potted plants, you should move them back. Those little oases can become harbors and breeding grounds for weary worm travellers. 

After Each Rain, Spot Check

After each rainfall, you would be wise to check for worms around the pool deck. That’s when they are going to make their suicidal treks into the pool water. If you can prevent them there, you can save yourself the time of fishing them out later.

Raise Your Deck or Lower the Ground

If your pool deck  is level with the ground, worms are more likely to wander into it. Raising the deck or lowering the landscaping a few inches will make the journey to your pool less likely. Worms can transverse vertical spaces. However, running into a wall instead of just smoothly transitioning to type of surface will help to limit the worms that make their way into your pool.

More Questions About Worms And Swimming Pools

Can Worms Survive in Chlorine Water?

Due to chlorine levels and a lack of oxygen worms are unable to survive in a swimming pool.

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