Springtails everywhere!

[TheHornedToad]

Hello everyone this is my first post,

My worm bin that i feed my frogs out of is
infested with springtails. When i feed my worms the
springtails swarm and cover the worms food in minutes.
I dont know how they got there, I'm just wondering if this is a
bad thing to have so many springtails. I rarely see my worms eating.
Im kind of scared to get a worm for my frogs because
they're everywhere.

[Gnag the nameless]

Welcome to the Frog Forum!

Sorry for the long wait for a reply.

A springtail infestation? Hmmm...

What kind of worm is in there? Mealworm, earthworms, hawkworms, or waxworms?

As for the springtails, I am not sure. However, I can go alert some of the moderators and experts on the Forum to help out. I'm certain they'll know what to do.

Perhaps you could attempt to take a portion of springtails out by using a bucket or large container and scaring them into it. Just a thought. If you really needed to, you could remove as many worms as possible and place them in a separate container, thoroughly clean and wash the worm bin before placing the worms back in, thus getting rid all springtails.

[TheHornedToad]

Thanks,
Oh sorry its a european nightcrawler bin; I can't scare them into a bucket because there teeny. Are they really bad for the worms?
Ive read they help decompose the food for the worms. It would be a really long process to clean off every worm if they are a problem.

[DartEd]

Do you happen to have a picture of the infestation? Springtails are generally a cleanup crew. They eat mold fungus and other decomposing organic items in the bin reducing foul odors in the bin. As far as their effect on the worms, I'm unsure.

[TheHornedToad]

Ill get a picture soon.

[TheHornedToad]

This is on top of the food i feed the worms, they all congregate on top of the food. There are also some little dark ones in the mix and i think a few mites but, the white ones are definitely the main population.

[Heatheranne]

That's quite a batch of springtails you've got there.

Your best bet is to remove and rinse your worms with dechlorinated water and start a nice, new clean worm bin, with new substrate. Be sure to remove all springtails or they'll start again. Keep the new bin away from the old.

Sell those springtails. We dart lovers and vivarium builders love them. Just be sure there are no mites in the batch if you do sell them. If you don't need them or want them you can bleach them and then dump them outside.

[TheHornedToad]

That's quite a batch of springtails you've got there.

Your best bet is to remove and rinse your worms with dechlorinated water and start a nice, new clean worm bin, with new substrate. Be sure to remove all springtails or they'll start again. Keep the new bin away from the old.

Sell those springtails. We dart lovers and vivarium builders love them. Just be sure there are no mites in the batch if you do sell them. If you don't need them or want them you can bleach them and then dump them outside.

I was thinking of getting some darts one day, there is a mite here and there so i probably couldn't sell them is there any sort of trap to get a lot out quickly? I don't really wanna put my hands where 2 million springtails are lol.

[Heatheranne]

Lol! Using gloves is about all I can think of.

[Heatheranne]

Oh wait! You can try adding water, springtails float. Just flush them down the toilet. Be careful not to drown the worms.

[TheHornedToad]

Oh wait! You can try adding water, springtails float. Just flush them down the toilet. Be careful not to drown the worms.

This is gonna be a big project, ill remove the worms with gloves first. Then should i float the springtails or just throw all the soil out? Ive also thought if i buried the food the springtails wouldn't eat it and then there numbers will go down. Also i could bait the springtails with a piece of bread then put it in a baggie and freeze them.

[TheHornedToad]

Actually I have a new plan, im gonna bury the worms food so that they can eat in peace. Then I'm gonna give the springtails food separately this way I can raise both. Then ill sell the springtails here on frog forum so i can buy more frogs.

[Gnag the nameless]

That's... actually quite a good idea. What kind of frogs are you planning on getting?

[TheHornedToad]

I was thinking of raising money for some dart frogs or some ceratophrys cornutas; I would have to buy alot of stuff for the darts though so that will probably not be very soon.

[theblackfrog2013]

Thats great news ill buy some materials and start selling some, what size deli cup is a fair size I'm assuming they are only go into the first centimeter of the coco coir so i should get a wide deli cups?

8-12 oz deli cup and lid. You can try charcoal substrate also.
Some thoughts.

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