If you are being bitten inside your own pool enclosure, your screen is almost certainly not torn — standard 18x14 fiberglass mesh simply does not stop no-see-ums. The openings in a standard weave are larger than the insects, which walk straight through. This is not a defect and not a sign of a bad installation. It is the material working exactly as designed, against an insect it was never designed for.
What no-see-ums are and when they appear
Biting midges, also called sandflies. They are considerably smaller than mosquitoes, they breed in damp soil and shallow water margins, and they are worst at dawn and dusk in spring and autumn — precisely the hours and seasons you most want to sit outside.
Their activity is intensely local. Being near open water is the dominant factor, and pressure can differ noticeably between one street and another a few hundred yards away.
Where this comes up most in Central Florida
Anywhere close to open water. Around the Harris Chain at Mount Dora and Eustis. The St. Johns River side of DeBary. Lakefront Lake Mary and the Markham Woods corridor. The Butler Chain around Dr. Phillips. Rural east Orange County around Wedgefield, where the pressure is the highest we deal with anywhere. And the Indian River lagoon side of Brevard.
Inland from water, standard mesh is usually perfectly adequate and upgrading would be spending money on a problem you do not have.
The fix, and what it costs you
No-see-um mesh has a tighter weave — typically 20x20 — small enough to exclude them. It is the only reliable answer; there is no treatment or trick that makes standard mesh work.
The trade-off is airflow. A tighter weave moves less air and you will feel it on a still evening. It also collects dust slightly more readily and costs more per panel. Most people who genuinely need it consider that an easy exchange for being able to use the enclosure at all.
You do not necessarily need it everywhere. If one side faces the water, screening that side finer while leaving the rest standard is often enough, and preserves airflow through the cage.
Check the obvious things first
Before assuming you need finer mesh, check the door sweep and the gaps around door frames, which are a far more common entry route than people expect. Look for small tears at the base where lawn equipment has caught the screen, and check that the kickplate is properly sealed to the deck.
If you are getting mosquitoes as well as no-see-ums, the problem is a gap somewhere, not the weave — standard mesh stops mosquitoes perfectly well.
Questions people ask about this
Will no-see-um screen stop mosquitoes too?
Yes. It stops everything standard mesh stops, plus the smaller biting midges. Standard mesh already handles mosquitoes, so if mosquitoes are getting in you have a gap rather than a weave problem.
Can I screen just one side of my enclosure with finer mesh?
Yes, and where one side faces water it is often the sensible compromise — you exclude the insects on the side they come from while keeping airflow through the rest of the cage.
Is there a spray or treatment that makes standard screen work?
No. The openings in a standard weave are simply larger than the insect. Finer mesh is the only reliable fix.
Want someone to look at yours?
Free on-site estimate. We count the panels, check the frame and give you a fixed written price.
(407) 766-4919