catching my own vivarium janitors

[eric048]

it is so crowded, i cant even move

[Reggie]

The NARBC show was great in Arlington, Tx. ! I saw alot of springtail starter kits as well as other micro bugs. If you want pill bugs , they are easy to find, just go flipping logs and debris in wooded/forest areas or fields right after a rain. Or an easier way is if you have a flower bed or garden , lay a few pieces of cardboard or wood on the dirt , come back to it in a few weeks or a month and you 'll find lots of pill bugs. I believe they eat rotting debris , I have them in my european nightcrawler bin so and I think they are snacking on egg shells , corn meal , oats and damp newspaper.

[eric048]

there were a few starter cultures but U didn't feel like spending $10 on pill bugs, or $8-15 on springtails....

[eric048]

I not u, sorry typo

[Reggie]

You are correct , I didn't want to spend money on bugs that I have in my own backyard , LOL !!!!

[eric048]

I contacted my local parks department and they gave me a list of places they don't spray so I'll look there when it warms up

[NatureLady]

If you are looking for springtails, now is not such a bad time to go (In Oklahoma it is a bad day...cold rain...bleh). Go to the areas you found at the parks and dig up some leaf litter and a few inches of top soil. I then cut a wedge out of a potato and push it down into the soil with the skin side up. Usually after it has all warmed up I find that I have springtails. Pill bugs can be found on larger peices of fallen logs, usually rolled up in the bark not the soil.

[eric048]

i have also read that mushrooms work for springtails... I will try that out