Caterpillars

[clokwise]

For the last 4 to 6 weeks, the grounds around my pool (in Chiang Mai) have been infested with caterpillars. I've had a bug guy come in and spray nasty stuff everywhere but it doesn't seem to have stopped them one bit. I haven't spotted any web-nests in our trees, these little guys seem to only hang out in the grass. They pretty much mind their own business and actually don't even seem to be eating my plants. However they are mysteriously drawn to our pool and throughout the day and night they fall into the pool and drown by the hundreds. Every time we want to use the pool we have to spend 20 minutes to suck them all out first.

Is there some other way to get rid of these guys besides poison (which doesn't work)? Or are they seasonal and will eventually go away?

Is there any efficient method/device to constantly rid the pool of their carcasses?

[gilbreth]

Hmn, interesting one. We had a pool that was covered in tiny black worms once about 2 years ago. It went away though, as mysteriously as they came. I think its seasonal. Chlorine, etc., doesn't seem to phase them either. Is this a skimmer or an overflow pool? Question being, the skimmer might get clogged (ugh) easily...and you might want to put a strainer on the overflow gutter pipe to keep them out of the tank...if I recall my biology class though, insects do not "rot" they simply dry up when dead right? We had a customer once with a dead dog in his pool, that was a mess. Why all pools don't have safety fencing is beyond me...

[sometime]

You don't need to use poison or nasty stuff, every four weeks spray your lawn and any plants with neem oil,if you only spray once the eggs are still in the soil waiting to hatch.

[clokwise]

Is this a skimmer or an overflow pool?

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the terminology. All I know it that it's a fairly standard run of the mill swimming pool. We have an external pump and a single drain on the side where the water gets recirculated. The drain has both a plastic filter and a cloth bag, but it should be pointed out that very few of the critters are getting caught in the filter, they seem to go straight to the bottom of the pool and remain there. When I use the pool vacuum cleaner all the bugs get sucked into the cloth bag when then gets removed and cleaned by hand, then replaced. I was hoping someone might know of a device which automatically sucks the bugs off the bottom when the pool is not in use.

Thanks for the tip on the neem oil. Anyone know the Thai name for it?

[sometime]

Is this a skimmer or an overflow pool?

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the terminology. All I know it that it's a fairly standard run of the mill swimming pool. We have an external pump and a single drain on the side where the water gets recirculated. The drain has both a plastic filter and a cloth bag, but it should be pointed out that very few of the critters are getting caught in the filter, they seem to go straight to the bottom of the pool and remain there. When I use the pool vacuum cleaner all the bugs get sucked into the cloth bag when then gets removed and cleaned by hand, then replaced. I was hoping someone might know of a device which automatically sucks the bugs off the bottom when the pool is not in use.

Thanks for the tip on the neem oil. Anyone know the Thai name for it?

Here is a picture of the bottle, the dilution I use is 30ml/cc per litre of water

You will find some useful information here http://www.plant-care.com/pest-control-wit...pesticides.html

Edited May 22, 2010 by sometime

[cheshiremusicman]

Is this a skimmer or an overflow pool?

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the terminology. All I know it that it's a fairly standard run of the mill swimming pool. We have an external pump and a single drain on the side where the water gets recirculated. The drain has both a plastic filter and a cloth bag, but it should be pointed out that very few of the critters are getting caught in the filter, they seem to go straight to the bottom of the pool and remain there. When I use the pool vacuum cleaner all the bugs get sucked into the cloth bag when then gets removed and cleaned by hand, then replaced. I was hoping someone might know of a device which automatically sucks the bugs off the bottom when the pool is not in use.

Thanks for the tip on the neem oil. Anyone know the Thai name for it?

I believe that it is called 'SADOA'. The tree grows in profusion here in Thailand and you can pick the leaves and make an infusion in water. If you grind the dry leaves up it is a great (but VERY bitter) treatment for 'diveriticulitus'; well it cured me some 9 years ago!

Suggest that you google 'Neem' and find out all about it. It has been used for centuries in the east for all kinds of treatments. I hope that you get rid of the little critters!