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Backswimmer
Hello Bugman–
I found this bug in our pool, and after it freaked out the kids and I fished it out, I looked on your site. Sure enough, you had one picture of it, under True Aquatic Bugs. I thought perhaps maybe a few other pictures of a Backswimmer might be of use to you. Thanks for helping me identify it. Also, can’t the Chlorine, or other chemicals in the pool water, kill the bug? Thanks again,
Wendy Richardson

Hi Wendy,
Thanks for sending us another photo of a Backswimmer. One nagging reader, a Truly Candid Girl, might be annoyed, but we haven’t posted a new photo of a Backswimmer in quite some time. Backswimmers are in the Family Notonectidae, and more information can be found on BugGuide where we just noticed the common names Water Bee or Water Wasp, undoubtedly a reference to the bite. The chlorine would probably need to be at a very high concentration to harm the Backswimmer, though the lack of prey like small aquatic insects and other invertebrates will ensure that Backswimmers will not permanently inhabit your pool. Since they fly, they can come and go at will.

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