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Wild ducks are waterfowl that migrate mostly in fall. They do this in search of warmer habitat to mate and lay eggs. During their migration, they are constantly looking out for a water body along their migratory flyway to quench their thirst and reproduce.
A swimming pool is therefore attractive to them. However, they can be a nuisance to any pool owner and all measures must be taken to prevent them from landing in your pool.
This article explains why you need to keep ducks out of your pool and provides multiple ways in which you can do that. It discusses visual, physical, audio, and chemical deterrents for ducks.
Why do I Need to Keep Ducks Out of Pool?
Ducks will usually settle in your pool while in search of habitat to mate and reproduce. You, however, do not want to have them in your pool. They are a nuisance.
Ducks will defecate in your pool and their droppings will make your pool unsanitary to swim in. Their droppings will most likely introduce parasites such as roundworms in your pool.
The droppings also provide a breeding ground for germs and bacteria such as E. Coli and Salmonella species. These may cause illness such as typhoid fever to humans when a swimmer swallows pool water, which is not unlikely.
Additionally, ducks have external parasites such as lice that are a nuisance to humans and pets. The lice may attach to swimmers’ hair when they use the pool.
In adherence to the Migratory Birds Treaty Act, you will need to ensure that ducks stay out of the pool. This is because when they swallow the chlorinated pool water, it may harm them. This will make you liable.
Ways to Keep Ducks Out of Pool
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1. Use Animal Pool Toys
Ducks are afraid of predators. Use pool toys of common predators like alligators and snakes to scare them away. These toys should easily float on the pool to deter the ducks from landing in it.
2. Fill Your Pool With Eyeballs
Eyeball pool floaties will come in handy in keeping ducks way from your pool. The ducks perceive them as predator’s eyes and are therefore scared of entering the pool.
You can use commercially available eyeballs or you can improvise by drawing eyeballs on balloon floaties using a permanent marker.
3. Use a Pool Cover
A pool cover prevents debris from dirtying your pool and also prevents pool accidents. In this case, it will keep ducks away. Make sure the cover is well secured with metallic clips to avoid having any gaps where the ducks may slip in through.
Among the variety of pool covers, you could opt for a solar cover because it performs all the above functions and still aids in warming your pool up.
4. Use an Automatic Pool Cleaner
An automatic pool cleaner not only makes pool cleaning easy for you, but it acts as a great deterrent for ducks.
They are easily scared so the water movement and the sound produced when the cleaner is active will scare them away. This will ensure they do not land and make a habitat in your pool.
5. Use Sprinklers
Sprinklers around your pool will pelt the ducks with water and this scares them. They will therefore take flight and avoid settling in your pool.
You may use the typical sprinklers that run continuously especially during the duck migration season. However, using automatic motion-sensitive sprinklers around the pool is a more effective way to keep ducks away.
This is because whenever the ducks go near the pool, the sprinklers will automatically activate and this action will be unexpected. They will also use less water compared to sprinklers that run continuously.
6. Use Bird Netting
Bird netting is a physical deterrent that will prevent ducks from landing in your pool. You should make sure it is well secured to the edges of the pool to ensure its effectiveness.
There are two ways of installing it. One way is installing it as you would a pool cover. On the other hand, you may install it at a higher level in a tent-like manner and secure the edges.
7. Put up Fishing Line
A fishing line acts in the same way as the bird nesting. Once you install it, ensure there are no gaps through which ducks can sneak in through. Fishing lines are easily available and are not expensive.
8. Put Your Pets to Work
A dog that is well-trained to chase ducks away will be of great use during the migration season. The dog will scare the ducks away without killing them.
Other pets like cats may not be very effective because cats tend to be stealth movers, and they always go in for a kill. This may not scare the other ducks away from your pool.
9. Use an Ultrasonic Pest Repellent
This is an audio deterrent device specifically made to produce sound in a very high frequency that can only be heard by animals. It will not cause any auditory disturbance to humans.
Once the device is active, it produces the frequency that is irritating to ducks. Take precautions when using this because it may also irritate your pets.
10. Use Duck Off
Duck off is a surfactant chemical that when added into the pool water, interferes with the water surface tension.
When ducks land in your pool they will find it very difficult to float and swim in. This discomfort will cause them to take flight away from your pool. Duck off is not known to cause any harm to the ducks or even to humans but should be used as a last resort.
Read the instructions on the packaging label to ensure proper application.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it will be in your best interest to keep ducks out of your pool. Some methods you can use to achieve this include visual deterrents such as animal pool toys or filling your pool with eyeballs.
You should also consider physical duck deterrents by using a pool cover, an automatic pool cleaner, or sprinklers. Besides, you can use bird netting, put up a fishing line on your pool, or your pets to scare the ducks away.
Lastly, you can use an audio deterrent such as an ultrasonic pest repellent or one of a chemical nature Duck-Off as a measure of last resort.