# what happens if a spring tail is loose in the house?



## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

so my question is what happens if some spring tails are loose in the house? will this become a pest problem that is hard to deal with? wil they just die? any help would be great


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

I hear they crawl in your ears.

Just kidding. How moist is your house?


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## VisionVoid (Nov 20, 2005)

I believe they'll just die off.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

its kinda warm here in san diego but my humidifier reads around the 63%-65% is that bad? temp is 78F right now


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

If you have house plants, you already have springtails in your home. Check well and you'll see! By day they are not dangerous, but at night... (Just kidding)!


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

Unless if they have a moist place like potted plant, they wouldn't be venturing around your house. They aren't what I would consider a pest.

Most likely they aren't going to leave a viv, like a fruit fly does.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

they'll turn to dust mostly


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

You'll never know.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

gturmindright said:


> You'll never know.


its not the knowing part i care about its cause i have a 7 month old kid and i wouldnt want these things loose and biting her is you know what i mean...


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## scoy (Jan 22, 2013)

If the little one has any bug bites they arent from springs. Ive yet to get bit.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Do not worry, as I said springtails are common in potted plants in our homes. The fact is different as regards the mites which can trigger allergies.


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## PumilioTurkey (Feb 25, 2010)

Don't listen to the fools here!


There aren't many people on earth who had loose springtails and are still alive to tell about it!!11


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

*Springtails are strictly a nuisance species in the home and are harmless to humans and animals*

*Outdoor populations are often high, up to 100,000 per cubic meter of surface soil or many millions per acre*

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO-23/ENTO-23_PDF.pdf

No worries...


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## L8apex (May 2, 2014)

Whatever you do, do not get them wet or feed them after midnight!!


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

i'm scared now... also does anyone here have photos of mites in their vivarium or culture? i want to see how small they are so i know what to look for if i see it... also with the deli cup mesh lid... can mites go pass that and into my culture?


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## kgj (May 2, 2014)

Springtails are not dangerous. I don't have any personal photos of mites, but they kinda look like small white poppy seeds that move around a bit.










Chances of someone having a grain mite allergy is quite rare. And if you've ever eaten bread, or cereal, or anything similar I'm sure you've been exposed to them before. Everything irie mon


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## L8apex (May 2, 2014)

Bryanmc1988 said:


> i'm scared now... also does anyone here have photos of mites in their vivarium or culture? i want to see how small they are so i know what to look for if i see it... also with the deli cup mesh lid... can mites go pass that and into my culture?


Whoa, I was kidding! It was an old movie (Gremlins) reference. I see some jump out sometimes, but I've never seen one survive. It's very dry where I live, but if only a couple get out I wouldn't be worried about them taking over your house unless they have a lot of food and a good place to nest. As far as I know they are totally harmless, I have two young kids that have helped me culture them for them for a couple years, I hope I'm right!


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

ok i'm also getting this white furry stuff in the vivarium also i assume its fungus... will the spring tail eat this or should i remove it by hand? there are some on the background and some on the drift wood...


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## Dev30ils (May 1, 2012)

That is mold, your springtails will chow down on it.


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## Dartkart21 (Feb 18, 2014)

You're fine. Everyone is having a laugh at your expense unfortunately.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Dartkart21 said:


> You're fine. Everyone is having a laugh at your expense unfortunately.


All good just laugh away it's my first vivarium so I don't expect it to be 100% lol


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## Urban Jungle (Oct 10, 2013)

Physical threat or not, there are traps you can build to catch them if you don't want them running around your house.


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## Urban Jungle (Oct 10, 2013)

Oops I was thinking about fruit Flys when I mentioned the trap. No see um screen that you can order on line does a good job of preventing all types insects from escaping though. If you are having problems with fruit Flys escaping research the traps they work really well.


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## SMenigoz (Feb 17, 2004)

Attack of the killer rabbit came to mind! Monty Python movie reference for those who don't get it...


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

If springtails get loose in your house and are thriving, here is what you want to do.
1) Check to make sure your family is not under water. Either dry them off or give them scuba gear.
2) Call a plumber.
3) Call a mold remediation team.

After you've fixed your plumbing issues and replaced your moldy carpeting, your springtail problem will almost immediately go away. They will die, dry up, and shrivel into dust within hours, likely faster.
I can't speak for every springtail in existence, but all the springtails I have worked with in the hobby, _require_ high humidity to survive. 
Springtails, and isopods for that matter, commonly kept in the hobby _require_ high humidity. 

Escape into your home is simply a non-issue. If they can survive, you have some seriously bigger problems than a few bugs munching on your decomposing home.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

ok so after checking my substrate i found some weird looking bugs and took some photo but no one can tell me what they are as the photo was no clear nor can it focus at close range.... so i order the micro lens for the phone and this is what the photos come out as...



so here is a picture of the bug before:











and here is one with the micro lens i ordered:


























looks like a black springtail but i could be wrong i'm no bug expert... if they are black spring tails... where did they come from cause i never seeded the tank with black ones.... i used the zilla jungle mix as the substrate... 



also found these bugs in the substrate also:

















assuming they are mites? are they bad for a frog vivarium without any frogs yet as i am trying to seed and populate the tank first before adding any frogs


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