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Dolphin Pool & Spa

Bees, Wasps, and Your Pool

Published August 13, 2026 | Your Happy Dolphin Pool & Spa Team

Bees and wasps near a backyard pool deck in late summer

Images are AI generated and do not depict an actual pool or Dolphin Pool & Spa location.

Late August brings a familiar houseguest to Minnesota pools: more bees, and especially more wasps. They aren't after your pool exactly. They're after everything around it. Here's why they show up, and how to share the yard without a standoff.

1 Why Late Summer Turns Up the Heat

Wasp colonies hit their peak size in late summer, right as their usual food sources dry up. That sends them hunting for sugar and protein anywhere they can find it: soda cans, fruit, the burger on your grill. Yellow jackets also turn more aggressive this time of year, since their colony is winding down and defending it matters more.

Your pool water usually isn't the draw. Chlorine and moving water turn most bees and wasps away. What pulls them in is what's sitting on the table next to it.

2 Bees vs. Wasps: How to Tell Them Apart

Knowing which one you're dealing with tells you how much space to give it.

Trait Bees Wasps
Body Round, fuzzy, gold and brown Smooth, shiny, narrow waist
What draws them Flowers, standing water Sugar, meat, garbage
Sting Once, then it dies Can sting more than once
Late-summer mood About the same as always More defensive, less patient

3 Make Your Pool Less Appealing

Do This

  • Keep drinks and cans covered
  • Empty trash and recycling often
  • Rinse cans before they go in the bin
  • Trim flowering plants near the deck

Skip This

  • Leaving fruit or juice out on the table
  • Wearing heavy floral perfume poolside
  • Swatting or waving your arms at one
  • Walking around barefoot near clover

Tip: Set a shallow dish of sugar water 20 to 30 feet from the pool. It gives wasps somewhere better to be. Move it a little farther out every few days and they'll follow it right out of your space.

4 What To Do When One Ends Up In Your Pool

Net it out with your skimmer net, not your hand. A wet bee or wasp can still sting. If it looks dazed on the deck, give it a minute to dry its wings before it flies off on its own.

Is there a chemical fix? Not for the water. No BioGuard product, and nothing else you'd add to your pool, repels bees or wasps. Store-bought wasp spray and DIY dish soap mixes both work fine on an actual nest, but neither belongs anywhere near the water. They're not built for your filtration system, and dish soap especially will foam and cause water quality problems. Save any spray treatment for a nest well away from the pool's edge, and treat it at dusk, when wasps are calmer and back inside for the night.

Heads up: If anyone in your family is allergic, know the signs of a serious reaction: swelling beyond the sting site, trouble breathing, or dizziness. Keep an EpiPen poolside if it's been prescribed, and call 911 right away for severe symptoms.

5 When To Call In a Pro

Wasps aren't picky about real estate around a pool. Watch for nests in these spots:

  • Under coping stones or deck expansion joints
  • Inside umbrella stands and hollow deck posts
  • Behind pump and filter equipment housings
  • Inside skimmer lids or deck storage boxes
  • Underneath loose pavers or retaining wall gaps
  • In the eaves of a pool house, cabana, or fence line
  • Ground nests in sandy or mulched beds near the deck

A nest in any of these spots, especially near your equipment pad, is not a DIY job. Wasps will sometimes build inside a pool light niche or timer box, and that combination of electricity and an angry nest is one to leave to a licensed pest control company. Don't seal off a nest entrance yourself. Trapped wasps look for another way out, and that's often into your pool area.

Bees and wasps are a small nuisance most years, and a little planning keeps them that way. If you're due for a water test or need anything else before your next pool party, stop in. we make pool ownership a joy!

Call Us Now — 763-542-9000

Your Happy Dolphin Pool & Spa Team