# Where did my springtails go?



## 311_dart (May 20, 2006)

I checked on my springtail culture today and found no sprintails only these:


any help? are these mites? should I ditch the coco-fiber?


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Look like mites to me... You may want to start new cultures. I have not had a issue with them in my springtales.


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## Guest (Jun 9, 2006)

My springtails also seem to come and go. Maybe you ran out of food. 
Just to clarify, are you talking about springtails in culture jars or in the viv?


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Sorry, don't mean to hijack this post, but I was wondering if it hurts to have gnats in your sprigtails? The bugs I have fly!!


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## 311_dart (May 20, 2006)

it is a culture i got from ed's fly meat (which i was very pleased with). the culture was fantastic until this past week. the culture is just coco-fiber on top of some gravel with ed's springtail food. i guess i have to dump it! o well... thanks for the input


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## back2eight (Dec 19, 2005)

finally, a picture of a mite! I have wondered what they look like.


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

supposedly adding some woodlice can help with the mites. No first hand experience though.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2006)

back2eight,

Here are some pics of different types of mites. I found these living it up on my stick mounted Angraecum diderii. You can safely say that a vengful squishing event followed the picture taking event.


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## back2eight (Dec 19, 2005)

How magnified are those pics? I was getting the impression that mites were too tiny to be seen since everyone kept saying they were hard to get a good picture of.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2006)

They were a little smaller than the period point on your keyboard. About the size of a springtail since they were side by side.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2006)

I don't know what the mag was, is, but its alot.

Some mites you can't see unless you look under a microscope.


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## back2eight (Dec 19, 2005)

wow, that is tiny. Thanks, that is very helpful information. Now maybe I can recognize if I ever get mites.


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