How to keep bees out of your hot tub...

Question:

"Hi, I was hoping you could help me out with a problem we are having with our hot tub. We’ve had it since January (now March) and just within the last week or two, every time we get in the hot tub, we notice 10-15 dead bees floating in the water. My guess is they are getting in under the cover and drowning in there. How do we keep them away from the tub?? Any repellants? What is the primary reason they are drawn there to begin with. Are we not keeping the water CLEAN enough? Is it just a normal thing for this part of the year? (I know nothing about bees except that I don’t want them in my hot tub). They are collecting in the filter basket and my water is beginning to smell funky (I’m new to managing the water, so I don’t know if this is from the dead bee bodies fermenting ECK! Or because the water has gotten bad to begin with.."

Answer:

Don’t feel bad, because you are not alone. It’s surprising how many people have problems with bees in and around their hot tubs, and they all describe similar problems with smelly water and dead bees in their filters.

There are a couple of reasons for bees wanting to come to hot tubs or pools for water. The bees are after water to cool their hive. Many people think that the “people smell” or the water of their hot tub leads bees to stop by for a drink. If you put in fresh water, the bees may stop coming to the tub for a short time.

This is an odd situation of cause and effect – because on many accounts, dead bees lead to more funky smells, which lead to more bees. However, once the bees establish the tub as a supply, they know where to come back for more. Believe it or not - if enough bees get in there in the spring, it has been said that you can even get poison ivy from the oils they leave on the surface of the water.

Here are some things you can do:

1) Make sure your cover is sealed. If you see steam coming from any areas around the tub, you can use a layer of the puffy side of Velcro to provide a better seal, or use foam tape that can be found for sealing cracks around windows or air conditioners.

2) If you know your neighbor keeps bees, make sure they have provided a water supply close to their hives, or if you know of a wild bee hive nearby, have it removed.

3) If you don’t know where the bees are coming from, you can provide them with an alternate water source. Fill a shallow pan or birdbath with some sand, and then add water just above the level of the sand. Bees will find this attractive because they can drink without falling in and drowning. Place this new source near your hot tub (in the shade if possible). After a day or two of hot weather, move it gradually away from the hot tub, a few feet at a time until it is as far as possible from your hot tub. Then you can live in peace with the bees.

4) Finally, make sure that your water is always clean. When you’re ready, drain your hot tub and start with a fresh supply of water. Make sure to flush your plumbing lines with a good jet line cleaner before you drain it. When you have it filled again, make sure you shock it before you start using it – bacteria comes from the water in your hose too, so you need to start sanitizing right away. If you don’t have an ozonator you may want to consider one – it will help sanitize your water and cut down on your chemical usage.

Good luck, and please let me know how it turns out!

: )