Wasps in the Pool: How to Keep Wasps Away From Your Swimming Area

Wasps around the pool are a common warm-weather frustration. They circle the water, hover near swimmers, and turn a relaxing afternoon into an anxious one. Understanding why wasps are drawn to pools — and addressing those attractants — keeps your swimming area safer and more enjoyable.

Why Wasps Love Pools

Water

The primary reason wasps visit pools is simple: they need water. Wasps drink water for hydration and carry it back to the nest to cool the colony on hot days. Workers regurgitate water onto the nest and fan it with their wings to create evaporative cooling.

A pool is an irresistible water source — large, easily accessible, and reliably present. Wasps prefer calm, shallow water where they can land safely and drink.

Poolside Food and Drinks

Pool areas often feature snacks, sodas, fruit, and other food that attracts wasps. Open cans, dripping popsicles, and fruit platters draw foraging yellow jackets to the pool deck.

Scented Products

Sunscreen, tanning oil, and perfumes with floral or fruity scents can attract wasps to individual swimmers.

How to Keep Wasps Away From Your Pool

Provide an Alternative Water Source

The most effective strategy is to give wasps a water source they prefer over your pool. Place a shallow dish or birdbath with water and a few rocks (for wasps to land on) at least 30 feet from the pool. Wasps are creatures of habit — once they find a reliable water source, they return to it repeatedly and stop visiting the pool.

Tips for the alternative source:

• Add a few drops of sugar water to make it more attractive than plain pool water
• Place it before wasp season starts so wasps discover it first
• Keep it filled consistently — if it dries up, wasps will return to the pool

Set Up Traps

Wasp traps placed around the perimeter of your pool area intercept wasps before they reach the water. Place traps at least 20 feet from the pool — you want to draw wasps away, not toward swimmers. DIY traps work well for this purpose.

Manage Poolside Food

• Use cups with lids and straws for all beverages
• Cover food with mesh covers
• Clean up spills immediately
• Keep trash in sealed containers
• Avoid eating at the pool's edge during peak wasp hours

Use Natural Repellents

• Place dishes of peppermint oil around the pool deck
• Plant mint, lemongrass, and thyme in pool-area planters
• Burn citronella candles or torches (modest effect)
• Use a fan on the pool deck — the moving air makes it harder for wasps to fly in the area

See natural wasp repellents for more options.

Cover the Pool

When the pool is not in use, cover it. A pool cover eliminates the water source and dramatically reduces wasp traffic. Even a solar cover makes the water surface inaccessible.

Address Nearby Nests

If wasps are consistently heavy around your pool, there is likely a nest nearby. Look for underground nests in the lawn, nests under eaves of the house or pool house, and nests in nearby trees. Have nests removed by a professional or follow the steps in how to remove a wasp nest.

If a Wasp Lands in the Pool

• Do not splash at it — this is more likely to provoke a sting
• Let it fly away on its own if it is floating on the surface
• Scoop it out with a pool skimmer if it is drowning
• Do not grab it with your hands — even a wet, struggling wasp can sting

For Wasp-Allergic Swimmers

If anyone in your household has a wasp sting allergy:

• Keep epinephrine auto-injectors poolside in a shaded, accessible location
• Have all nearby nests professionally removed
• Implement all the prevention measures above
• Consider a screened pool enclosure for complete protection

For a comprehensive prevention plan, see our guides on what attracts wasps and wasp prevention tips.

Expert Insight

Pool-area wasp problems are one of my busiest summer call categories. In 15 years as a Board Certified Entomologist, I have learned that the key to solving pool wasp problems is understanding why they are there: they need water. Wasps collect water to cool their nests through evaporative cooling and to mix with wood fiber when building nest material. A swimming pool is simply the largest, most reliable water source in the neighborhood.

My most effective pool-area strategy is providing an alternative water source. I have clients place shallow dishes with pebbles and water 30 to 50 feet from the pool — the wasps adopt the closer, more convenient source and traffic at the pool drops dramatically within a few days. Combined with perimeter traps baited with sugar water, this approach has reduced pool-area wasp complaints by over 80 percent for my clients without any pesticide use near the water.

References and Further Reading

• Penn State Extension - Wasps Around Water — Extension resources on why wasps are attracted to swimming pools and water features.
• University of Kentucky Entomology - Wasp Water-Seeking Behavior — Research on wasp hydration needs and water-collection behavior.
• NPMA - Pool and Patio Wasp Management — Consumer tips for reducing wasp activity around pools and outdoor water features.
• EPA - Pool Area Pest Control — EPA guidelines for safely managing pests around swimming pools and water features.
• CDC - Pool Safety and Insects — CDC recommendations for maintaining safe outdoor swimming environments.

Main Causes

Wasps build nests on structures because eaves, soffits, attic vents, deck rafters, wall voids, shed interiors, and dense shrubbery provide protected anchor points and easy access to forage. Queens emerging in spring seek out these locations, and a single founding queen establishes a colony that grows from a few cells in April to hundreds or thousands of workers by late summer. Indoor encounters happen when nests in wall voids or attics route through entry points, when foragers come inside through open doors and damaged screens chasing food and water, and during fall when colonies are at peak size and most defensive. Outdoor food and sweet drinks, ripening fruit, garbage, and uncovered pet food all amplify foraging pressure around occupied spaces.

How to Identify

Identify the species and locate the nest before any control action. Paper wasps build open, downward-facing umbrella-shaped combs under eaves, deck railings, playground equipment, and grill covers. Yellow jackets build enclosed papery nests in wall voids, attics, ground holes, and dense shrubs. Bald-faced hornets build large basketball-sized gray paper nests hanging from tree branches and structure corners. Mud daubers build small mud tubes on walls and ceilings and are non-aggressive. Watch returning workers at dusk to pinpoint nest entry points, especially for ground and wall-void nests that are otherwise invisible. Species, nest size, and nest location together determine whether removal is straightforward, hazardous, or requires professional intervention.

Risk and Severity

Wasp stings are painful, common, and occasionally life-threatening. Most stings produce localized pain and swelling and resolve within hours, but multiple stings or stings in someone with venom allergy can trigger anaphylaxis — a medical emergency requiring epinephrine and emergency care. Yellow jackets and hornets are particularly aggressive when nests are disturbed and can deliver dozens of stings to a single person, especially with ground-nesting yellow jackets where mowing or yard work triggers mass defensive responses. Stings inside the mouth or throat from swallowed wasps can produce dangerous airway swelling regardless of allergy status. Risk scales with nest size, nest location relative to occupied space, household members with venom allergy, and time of year — late summer is peak risk.

Solutions and Actions

Treat wasp nests at dawn or dusk when most workers are inside and least active, wearing protective clothing covering all skin, eyes, and face. For paper wasp nests in accessible locations, use a wasp and hornet jet spray rated for the species from a safe distance, then remove the dead nest material the next day to discourage rebuilding. For yellow jacket nests in wall voids, ground holes, or attics — and for any large nest with visible heavy traffic — use a licensed professional, because these nests harbor hundreds to thousands of workers and disturbing them produces mass stinging responses. Never plug a wall-void nest entry without first eliminating the colony, because trapped workers will tunnel through interior wall surfaces seeking exit.

Prevention

Prevention focuses on denying nest sites and reducing forage attractants. Inspect eaves, soffits, attic vents, deck railings, sheds, and outbuildings in early spring and brush down any starting nests while they are still small enough for a single queen to be the only occupant. Seal cracks larger than a quarter inch in siding, soffit gaps, and around utility penetrations to block wall-void access. Cover outdoor garbage cans and recycling with tight-fitting lids, keep sweet drinks and food covered during outdoor meals, and clean fruit drops from yards promptly. Maintain window and door screens and add door sweeps. Run a targeted residual treatment under eaves and along soffits in early summer where paper wasp nesting has been a recurring problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are wasps attracted to my swimming pool?

Wasps need water for nest cooling and construction. They land on pool edges and surfaces to drink, and they are attracted to the large, reliable water source a pool represents. Swimming pools are especially attractive because the water is calm and accessible at the edges. Chlorine does not deter wasps — they will drink chlorinated pool water readily.

How do I keep wasps away from my pool?

Provide an alternative water source — a shallow dish with pebbles and water — at least 30 feet from the pool. Set up wasp traps at the pool area perimeter with sweet liquid bait. Keep food and drinks covered at poolside. Inspect the area around the pool for nests and treat any you find. Consider planting wasp-repellent herbs like mint near the pool area.

Is it dangerous to have wasps around a swimming pool?

Wasps around pools pose sting risk, particularly to children playing in the water who may inadvertently trap a floating wasp against their skin. Pool areas also increase the danger of swelling reactions because water immersion can mask early sting symptoms. People with venom allergies should take extra precautions at poolside, including keeping epinephrine accessible and ensuring others know where it is.

Will adding dish soap to my pool water keep wasps away?

No. Adding soap to pool water is not a practical or effective wasp deterrent, and it will create foaming, alter water chemistry, and potentially damage pool filtration systems. Dish soap kills individual wasps by breaking surface tension and clogging their breathing spiracles, but it works only on direct contact. Use proper wasp management strategies instead of modifying your pool water.