The Secret to Whitefly Honeydew Pool Cleanup
Whitefly infestations have recently become a growing concern in South Florida and other markets. Along with attacking the landscape and damaging agriculture, whiteflies are causing quite a mess with their honeydew excrement. Plants, walkways, cars, outdoor furniture and
even swimming pools have become covered with this sticky substance and the sooty mold it promotes. But it’s not just the pool’s appearance that is affected. This residue drastically affects the chemical balance of the pool water by extremely decreasing sanitizer effectiveness. Almost overnight the water becomes cloudy and green and continues to deteriorate until treated while the sticky substance clogs up the filter.
Unfortunately these infestations are NOT seasonal, whiteflies breed year-round and their population is expected to increase and spread. While they should dissipate with time, these pests will likely never go away completely. With that being said, it is important to know how to control these Whiteflies and their effects.
While the plants are best treated by a licensed exterminator or by using approved products from your garden center, we have a simple solution for your swimming pool:
- Thoroughly clean the pool filter.
- Shock the pool with a granular or liquid chlorine.
- Apply a full bottle of 32oz Revive!® (pools up to 24K gallons) over the pool surface and set the pump/filter to run continuously.
- After 48 hours thoroughly clean the filter and skimmer basket. You may also need to vacuum the pool bottom.
- Maintain clear water by applying 8oz of Revive!® weekly and cleaning the filter every 2 weeks.
For more information please visit University of Florida’s Whitefly website:www.flwhitefly.org/.
