What's the best way to prevent a springtail infestation? The best way to prevent a springtail infestation is to limit excess moisture. Keep gutters clear and fix any drainage issues around the home. Dispose of decaying logs and plants as well as piles of debris.
Since springtails need moisture to thrive try to dehumidify the area. Try to vacuum up springtails. If springtails cannot find moisture,they will die. Run the air condition at a low temperature to reduce the humidity in your home. Kill them with short lived pesticides such as pyrethrins or allethrin.
Possible reasons springtails are indoors include a new house with tight construction; the outdoor grade drains toward the house; broken or leaking plumbing; a wet crawl space, basement and/or landscape; an indoor humidifier; roof leaks; and more.
Lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil repels springtails but does not kill them. Once the source of the moisture in a building has been discovered and fixed, these scented oils may help drive them away permanently. Mix a combination of all three scented oils and spray them where springtails are most active.)
Because of their small size, springtail control can be difficult, since they are hard to see and difficult to find. When looking at a fresh layer of snow, springtails tend to look like flecks of pepper or ashes on the surface.
The Good News About Springtails
The good news is that infestations are usually short-lived, typically less than a couple of weeks.
Sometimes, Springtails get in your house and flourish when they find hidden leaks, damp areas, and a food source (like molds, algae, and bacteria). Look for these areas and address: Look for damp crawl spaces, basements, intermittent foundation leaks. Use a dehumidifier (portable or permanent in-line ducted system).
You can also wipe down infected areas with store-bought remedies like cider vinegar and baking soda. These will kill off springtail infestations, and fixing moisture issues will keep them from returning.
Springtail nesting sites will typically be somewhere damp and dark. Their nest will also usually be located near any area where you may have seen them gathering, since springtails do not move very quickly or far in general. They are not able to travel great distances before settling into a nesting habitat.
Replace the bottom of a coffee can or plastic jar with 1⁄4-inch hardware cloth (screen). Put into your can or jar a small amount of the material you wish to sift for insects. Place a container with a sponge or wetted plaster underneath the screened jar or can to catch springtails and other critters.
In homes with high humidity and mold growth, springtails can sometimes maintain an indoor population. This is more common in bathrooms and basements but can also occur within walls of newly built homes that are supporting mold growth because of rains that soaked the floor and walls before they were covered.
Springtails are active year-round, and prefer relatively cool temperatures. During the winter in snowy areas, they are most active on sunny days. During the warmer months, or year-round in non-snowy areas, they are more active on cooler days.
Springtails in indoor potted plants can be controlled by avoiding overwatering and by allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Do not allow drain water to stand in saucers between waterings.
Springtails are eaten by a variety of small predators, such small flies, bugs, beetles, pseudoscorpions, small or immature spiders, larval fish, and more. Fungi can ride on the outer skin of soil-dwelling springtails to new places.
Mechanical Control Measures and Prevention
A season or two of heating and cooling the home will dry out the wood in the walls. Once this wood dries to the point where it will no longer grow any mold or fungus, the springtail population will gradually decrease until it is gone.
Indoor Springtail control can be obtained by using aerosols such as MicroCare or Alpine. These products can be applied along window sills, baseboards, inside cabinets and other areas where you see Springtails.
Spray oxygenated bleach directly on large populations of springtails. Bleach will immediately kill springtails. Spray cider vinegar on springtails. This type of vinegar is highly acidic and will quickly burn and kill springtails.
Springtails infest boxes of stored items and even in upholstered furniture that has gotten wet. These damp items provide the mold or mildew that the springtails need for food. Orkin is trained to help homeowners get rid of springtails.
Springtail bugs can go away on their own, but it isn't likely if the conditions that drew them in in the first place remain untouched. It is best to take measures to kill off the springtail infestation and repair the poor moisture conditions that have encouraged them to make a home.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN TREATING FOR SPRINGTAILS. Now once you start treating a springtail problem, you should expect the process to take a good 2-3 months. Outside applications will eventually end the migration inside. But seeing them inside will be ongoing.
How did I get springtails? Often mistaken for fleas, these small, jumping pests come indoors during dry weather or after a heavy rain. While they can live in any climate, springtails seek out moisture, dampness, and humidity. They are also attracted to light, and all of these things might lead them into a home.
If springtails persist indoors, the best control is to decrease the humidity and remove anything found to be moldy or in a state of decay. Household aerosols (like Raid) or persistent products like cyfluthrin (sold as Bayer Advanced Home Insect Control can be used indoors to control them.
Inside buildings, aerosol "creeping and crawling" pest control materials can be used to provide some short-term knockdown of springtail populations. Total release aerosol (so-called bug bombs) are not recommended because these products rarely get into the cracks and crevices where springtails may be hiding.
Since springtails need moisture to thrive, they are typically not very active on hot, dry days. They are typically most active during the afternoon and early evening and when the temperatures are cooler.
Feeding Springtails
Simply add a very light sprinkling of brewers yeast every 2-4 days (or less often, if there is still yeast visible) & mist it with some dechlorinated water. This food source is inexpensive, easy, and the Springtails love it.