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Springtails

What’s those bugs on top of the springtails?
Location: Tonasket, WA, or… MY BACKYARD! HAHAHAH
March 25, 2011 9:39 pm
I know, it’s annoying when the location is ”My backyard/car/house”, yet it makes me laugh every time I see it. And I wasn’t embarrassed enough to change the picture title once I figured out they were springtails. I hope the legs, segments and antenna come thru for you. I’m thinking babies floating on a raft of adults! They definately move and squirm, and they didn’t appear to be eating the purple ones. It’s been in the mid 40’s/day and high 20’s/low 30’s at night. They are in a wanna-be-bird bath somebody tried to make, really just a 1/2 gallon or so of water. Lots of leaves in the bottom. Please crop and blow up whichever one is best for you, because I know you can do it better! Thank you for all the delight, education and beauty your dedication gives to all of us!
Signature: Cathy

Springtails

Hi Cathy,
We are happy to hear that our sometime ornery responses to people have amused you. We agree that you have discovered a mass of Springtails, but trying to identify Springtails beyond the class Collembola is a challenge for us. We believe your specimens are probably in the order Poduromorpha based on photos posted to BugGuide, though BugGuide does not have any photographs that illustrate the light and dark individuals that your photograph clearly represents. Our best guess is that these are all the same species of Springtail in the famly Hypogastruridae (see BugGuide), but that the freshly molted individuals are lighter in color. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to add to that explanation or dispute it.

¶ Posted 27 March 2011 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Springtail

bug
Location: Under dog’s water bowl
March 25, 2011 12:31 pm
What’s this bug & why do they live under my dog’s water bowl? This photo is 400 times magnification. How do I get rid of them?
Signature: Fred

Springtail

Dear Fred,
You have Springtails which are often associated with moist or damp conditions. It is probably moist or damp under your dog’s water bowl. Springtails are benign creatures that feed on mold and mildew spores so they might actually be considered beneficial in the home, or at least they would indicate that there might be a problem with mold or mildew. We do not provide extermination advice.

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¶ Posted 26 March 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Springtail from South Africa

Water bug ID
Location: Pretoria, South Africa
January 27, 2011 4:46 am
Hi there.
I got a link to this site, and hope that u could possibly help me identify a bug i found in my koi pond.
This guy was extremely small, less than a mm long, and thinner than a hair. Found a large amount of, what i thought was grey dust, in the pond, and on closer inspection, and my 5x magnification macro lens, i came up with a image.
It jumps when out of water, so maybe a water flea of some sort?
Thanks for your time.
Signature: Charissa de Lange

Springtail

Dear Charissa,
You have Springtails on the surface of your koi pond. Springtails are thought to be the most numerous hexapods on the planet. Originally classified in the same class as insects, they are now placed in a distinct class, Collembola. According to BugGuide: “Springtails are ‘decomposers’ that thrive mostly on decaying organic matter, especially vegetable matter. They may also graze on spores of molds and mildews, especially indoors where there is a lack of other food sources.“ They are benign creatures that will not harm your fish, though they can become a nuisance if they get too plentiful. We have gotten numerous reports of them covering the surface of swimming pools.

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¶ Posted 28 January 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Springtail

what the heck is this ?
Location: ontario
January 22, 2011 12:42 pm
Hello bug man.
i keep finding these little bugs in my bathtub they cant seem to get out but they do jump.i have only seen them in the tub and i find it strange i have never seen these bugs before and have searched your site for clues but have found nothing.they are easily killed by water so why they are in the tub baffles me also it is winter time and freezing outside so I’m not completely sure where they are coming from.
I have attached a few photos one with the bug beside a comb to show size and another beside a small safety pin
I’m wondering if i should be calling some type of exterminator or if this is an indication of some other problem? please help!
Signature: concerned

Springtail

Dear Concerned,
Now that you know that this is a Springtail, you should be able to find a wealth of information on our site. There is no need to call an exterminator. Springtails are benign, but when they get very plentiful, they can become an annoyance. Since they feed on mold and fungus, their presence may be an indication of an underlying problem, like a leaking pipe inside the walls. According to Discover Life, “They are probably the most abundant hexapods on Earth, with up to 250,000,000 individuals per square acre.“

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¶ Posted 22 January 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Springtail found in laboratory

Unidentified insect on an agar plate
Location: Albany, NY
November 29, 2010 2:47 pm
Howdy! So I have a giant insect book at home that I can’t access right now because I am at work, but we have an unusual little guy that I found a picture of online and cannot actually identify because it was found under ”aspen mite”, and it is not an actual mite. We work in a nematode laboratory and this guy is about the length of an adult nematode (C. elegans). He is the first and only one of his kind. Contamination possibilities are: us, the air from the ventilation system and some fungus gnats that were in my potting soil. Just wondering what he is and what he does and if he thinks that C.elegans eggs are like delicious caviar or that C. elegans themselves are like delicious little noodles. Thanks and I love the site!
Signature: Cara D

Springtail

Dear Cara,
This is a Springtail in the class Collembola, and by many accounts, they are the most common hexapods on the planet. According to BugGuide which sites DiscoverLife: “Springtails are probably the most abundant hexapods on Earth, with up to 250 million individuals per acre.“ It probably came from the potting soil.

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¶ Posted 30 November 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Springtails

Miniscule (nearly microscopic) ant-like bugs?
Location: Midtown Manhattan, New York City
November 13, 2010 2:43 am
My kitchen countertop near the faucets has become home to miniscule – nearly microscopic – ant-like creatures. They are so teeny that my camera on the most powerful setting couldn’t capture them. I had to catch some with tape and then scan the tape. The attached photo is the best I could get – it appears to be two of them, one larger than the other.
I found thousands of these entities amassed under a small marble slat that I had sitting on the countertop. The marble was removed and thrown out but these creatures continue to habitate the countertop particularly near an faucet area.
PLEASE – WHAT ARE THEY????
Signature: Mystified

Springtails

Dear Mystified,
You have Springtails, generally regarded as the most common hexapods on the planet. They are important in soil as they help to break down organic matter, creating humus which increases the fertility of the earth. In the home, they are often attracted to damp and dark places, generally in the kitchen and bathroom, where they are thought to feed upon mold. Though they might be considered a nuisance if they appear in large numbers, they are benign creatures.

Dear Daniel,
THANK YOU for taking your valuable time to identify and explain these creatures.
I really appreciate it!
You have a fabulous and helpful site.
Mia

¶ Posted 13 November 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Springtails

Root Aphids or…?
Location: Madison, WI – USA
September 18, 2010 5:03 pm
Cheers Bugman!
First off, thank you for providing this service. I work at a hydroponics shop and recently I’ve been seeing more and more of these little white bugs in our reservoir. I’ve been told that they are Root Aphids or Root mites. I don’t believe they are root mites. I’ve looked online and in a few books but have never been able to confirm what they are. Any Ideas? The pic I attached is the closest img I can find. I tried to take a pic through a magnifying glass but had no success. They live in water and I’ve seen thousands of them in a res.
Signature: Whatever

Springtails

Dear Whatever,
You have submitted a photo of what many people consider to be among the most common terrestrial creatures, Springtails. Springtails are quite primitive, and recent taxonomy has reclassified them by taking them out of the class Insecta and placed them in the class Collembola. According to BugGuide: “Springtails are probably the most abundant hexapods on Earth, with up to 250 million individuals per acre.“ Springtails are benign creatures that will not harm plants and are actually beneficial because of the role they play in the creation of fertile humus in soil. BugGuide also indicates: “Springtails are ‘decomposers’ that thrive mostly on decaying organic matter, especially vegetable matter. They may also graze on spores of molds and mildews, especially indoors where there is a lack of other food sources.“

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¶ Posted 19 September 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Drawing: Springtail Perhaps???

no-see-ums
June 20, 2010
Are there ANY pics or drawings of no-see-ums, to help me ID the miniscule critter I caught? (approx. size = the comma (,) or a 0.5mm pencil tip) It’s greenish, w/black dots @ head, mid, & rear. Distorted features – Hairy (or has
centipede legs). “Antenae” front and rear. Two jumping legs? Too small to
photograph. Hope the drawing helps!
Billy Wade
Scotch Tape (DUH!) Houston, Texas

Drawing of a Springtail perhaps

Hi Billy,
We get the biggest thrill out of some letters, and your letter is one of those. We actually believe this is not a No-See-Um, but a Springtail. You can compare your drawing to a No-See-Um image at the Great Salt Lake Marina website , and to this drawing of a Springtail by Gina Mikel commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. We believe you may agree that you drew a Springtail which is thought to be the most common arthropod on the planet. Tom Pelletier of the Curious Nature website writes: “It has been estimated that there are as many as 3 trillion springtails in a single acre of temperate forest.”
P.S. If we do a 2010 Calendar, we would like to use your image and letter.

Probably Springtail

“Billy Wade and the Springtails” – Live, One Night Only!
July 5, 2010
Dear Daniel,
I’m thrilled you’re thrilled! Yes; you may use my comments, letters, drawings, and pictures,
in any manner you see fit. And I’ll be watching and waiting for you to put that calendar out.
I think the “WTB” website is the greatest, and have told darn near everyone in Houston to
check it out! When I looked up springtails on WTB, I found, on page three, a picture from
Suzanne, posted: 09 October 2005, that is the spitting image of the critter that I drew up.
I compared the attached pictures. And?… I HAVE SPRINGTAILS! I can feel them hitting
my legs right now under my desk! Thank you, Tom Pelletier, for that “golden nugget” of
information, “..estimates of, as many as 3 trillion springtails per acre of temperate forest.”
Are you kidding me? The Houston, Texas area commonly has: 90 degree + temperatures,
90% + chance of rain, 90% + humidity, and, 90 + (thousand?) acres of temperate forests.
Multiplying numbers that big makes me feel very insignificant and…itchy!
Bug Update:
Since visiting WTB.com, I haven’t swatted, stomped, or squashed any of the bugs
that are now on or in: Tape, jars, lids, shot glasses, bags, caps, cups, plates, bowls,
counters, tables, desks, and, in the freezer! I’m hooked! My girlfriend HATES it, and
won’t eat here anymore! I should get her something nice. Maybe a calendar….
“New Bugger”
Billy Wade