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.

[deeishealthy]

I'm actually jealous and wish I lived closer to you! I've been trying to get springtails and there is no where here to buy them.

[TheHornedToad]

heh, im scared of the little varmins you can have them all! I would ship them to you if you really wanted some but i wouldn't know how to go about it.

[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.

[fish4all]

Gotta love those tiny native springtails! Here is what I do to control them. Your lucky, my native species is 1/4 that size.

First, you guessed it, bury the food. BUT, I can not tell what you are feeding the worms so be careful what you bury and how much. Grains and grain based feeds can and will sour quickly if not eaten quickly. If it is fruit and veggie scraps then go ahead without worry. Don't let clump of grain get buried, a light sprinkle after moving back some of the bedding and then bury it could work fine.
Second, fly trap paper works great to catch them by the thousands. Stand one up in the bin and start them to the jump on it and you will control the population with 2-3 of those sticky insect/rodent boards. I had one that looked alive with so many on it.
3rd, don't over feed! the worms will not starve but the springtails will look for another place to find food.
4th, I find that feeding grains and bread breeds springtails faster than anything else. If you can feed some fruit and veggie scraps for a while and the population of springtails should decline over time.

I never have gotten rid of them all. Unlike the tropical species of springtails these things are TINY. I have had the entire surface covered with them in a 5 gallon bucket rinsing my red wigglers to get rid of most of them, I had to rinse a dozen times just to make a real noticeable dent.

As for selling the springtails, separating the mites should be easy. Mites don't jump so what you collect should be clean. Get a container and spook the little bugger so they jump everywhere and bag them up. I bet I could have sold 100,000-200,000 last year from cleaning my bins. But I doubt mien would be very useful because they are so tiny. Not sure if I want to try and collect them to sell them either.

[TheHornedToad]

Gotta love those tiny native springtails! Here is what I do to control them. Your lucky, my native species is 1/4 that size.

First, you guessed it, bury the food. BUT, I can not tell what you are feeding the worms so be careful what you bury and how much. Grains and grain based feeds can and will sour quickly if not eaten quickly. If it is fruit and veggie scraps then go ahead without worry. Don't let clump of grain get buried, a light sprinkle after moving back some of the bedding and then bury it could work fine.
Second, fly trap paper works great to catch them by the thousands. Stand one up in the bin and start them to the jump on it and you will control the population with 2-3 of those sticky insect/rodent boards. I had one that looked alive with so many on it.
3rd, don't over feed! the worms will not starve but the springtails will look for another place to find food.
4th, I find that feeding grains and bread breeds springtails faster than anything else. If you can feed some fruit and veggie scraps for a while and the population of springtails should decline over time.

I never have gotten rid of them all. Unlike the tropical species of springtails these things are TINY. I have had the entire surface covered with them in a 5 gallon bucket rinsing my red wigglers to get rid of most of them, I had to rinse a dozen times just to make a real noticeable dent.

As for selling the springtails, separating the mites should be easy. Mites don't jump so what you collect should be clean. Get a container and spook the little bugger so they jump everywhere and bag them up. I bet I could have sold 100,000-200,000 last year from cleaning my bins. But I doubt mien would be very useful because they are so tiny. Not sure if I want to try and collect them to sell them either.

You seem very experienced with this and have many great ideas. Since i don't want to kill the springtails I won't stop providing food for them I want to sell them. You say to just herd them into a bag? How many springtails do you usually sell i wouldn't know how to count them. I was thinking of just buying some 12 oz deli cups putting some soil in and herding a a few hundred springtails in with a sprinkle of food on top.

[fish4all]

I don't have a cue how I would package them to sell them. Counting them would be a nightmare for me, a little easier with your larger ones but I wouldn't try to get a specific number. As for shipping, my best guess would be to use a medium sized container with larger pieces of charcoal and some water in there with a small amount of food. The larger pieces won't kill as many in shipping from what I have read. For selling without shipping, some charcoal in a medium container and some water with a good lid on it. I would cut the lid and hot glue some fine mesh on top for air.

I would really have to research it before I tried selling them really but that is my best guess with the limited information I have found online about shipping them and packaging them.

[TheHornedToad]

I don't have a cue how I would package them to sell them. Counting them would be a nightmare for me, a little easier with your larger ones but I wouldn't try to get a specific number. As for shipping, my best guess would be to use a medium sized container with larger pieces of charcoal and some water in there with a small amount of food. The larger pieces won't kill as many in shipping from what I have read. For selling without shipping, some charcoal in a medium container and some water with a good lid on it. I would cut the lid and hot glue some fine mesh on top for air.

I would really have to research it before I tried selling them really but that is my best guess with the limited information I have found online about shipping them and packaging them.

I did research a little, what some people say is that the charcoal is smooshing a lot of them in transport. Some people have switched to using soil as it kills less. I don't know if this a better idea because what if the delivery dude holds the box upside down; the soil will crush them.