Springtails are a nuisance pest that can infest your home and spread in thousands. They can come into any damp room. Let us look at how to get rid of springtails in your bed and bedroom.
Springtails can infest your bedroom’s window sill, houseplants, or even your bed. Thankfully, you can easily remove these little wingless creatures from your bed using basic household products. You will also need to put in a strict cleaning routine for your bedding and covers.
Bug infestations on your bed can be a nuisance at best and unhygienic or dangerous at worst. There are many steps that you need to take to get rid of springtails and other bugs. Read on to know how to remove them from your bed once and forever.
Curious what unconventional products the bug enthusiasts here at What’s That Bug LOVE?
While we do enjoy and use the products recommended above, they are affiliate links where ‘What’s That Bug’ may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps to financial support this website from hosting to expert entomologists and writers who identify your bug requests and create the content you love.
Reasons Why You Have Springtails in Your Bed?
Springtails quickly lose moisture from their skin and cannot survive in an open environment for a long time. When they find shelter in your bed, springtails can protect themselves from the dry air outside and retain their moisture. Before we learn about how to kill springtails, let’s understand why you have them in your bed in the first place.
Damp bedding
A moist environment is a leading reason why these tiny creatures want to hide in your bedsheet. If your bedding isn’t dried correctly after the wash or your bedroom remains cold most of the time, your bed is the perfect home for these bugs.
Also, if you don’t spread your bed in the morning or pile dirty clothes on the sheets, you are providing springtails with a perfect home on your bed.
Sweating
Springtails might also breed if you leave excess moisture or sweating behind when sleeping or lying down. Sweat makes the sheets, covers, and blankets humid.
It makes the sheets, covers, and mattress damp and leaves behind a lot of moisture for springtails to relish.
Bedroom plants
There is nothing that hosts springtails better than bedroom houseplants. Springtails love to feed on organic materials, so they absolutely love living in and around potted plants.
Moreover, most people water their plants every day, so there are a lot of moist soils for them to absorb water from. Sometimes, there could also be stagnant water.
If you have bedroom plants, you need to be extra careful not to invite springtails living in them. And since springtails can jump far, it is not a big leap for them (both literally and figuratively) to infest your bed as well.
If you come to know that the plants are what are bringing these pests in, consider moving them outside the house somehow (maybe keep them on the terrace?).
Attached Washrooms
If your attached washroom next to your bedroom remains damp all the time or has leakages, it can be an invite to springtails.
Springtails love to thrive in damp places, so your bedroom’s washroom would make the perfect picnic spot for them.
Humid Rooms
If your room has poor ventilation, no access to direct sunlight or the walls have leaky pipes in them; your room will be humid. Such humid rooms are places where springtails can easily grow and multiply. Try using a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity to prevent springtails from reproducing.
Bed sheet molds
Springtails eat molds. If your bedsheets or mattress have molds in them, springtails would love to come to your bed. If that’s the case, its time to get new bedsheets and a mattress.
Ways To Get Rid of Springtails From Your Bed
Where there is a will, there is a way! By now, we now know that removing dampness is what removes springtails as well. Here are some solutions on how you can achieve this.
Wash all your bedding regularly
Whether it’s a bed sheet, blanket, or duvet, remove them and wash them thoroughly with soapy water. The more foam, the better!
Once you have washed your bedding, add 100 ml of white vinegar while rinsing to ensure that even the eggs and larvae leave the sheet. Remember to give a thorough wash, and if you still find springtails, a second round will not do any harm.
Increase air circulation in the room
The next option is to aerate your room. Open the windows during the day and turn the air conditioner on during the night to reduce moisture in your room. If you can get direct access to sunlight, there is nothing like it.
Keep the area under the bed clean
It is essential to clean under the bed to get rid of springtails and other bed bugs. Dirt and dead bugs, which you will often find under the bed, are also springtail food sources.
If you leave the area under your bed dirty, springtails will find a way to reach your bed. So, get your hands on a mop and use soapy water to clean the area under your bed.
Wash and vacuum the area rugs and mats
Washing only the bedding might now work. Molds can find room in area rugs, carpets, and mats.
Make sure to wash, vacuum, and aerate room mats and carpets at least once every two weeks to ensure that springtails do not find their food in your mats or carpets.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is used to control several species of insects, so it is a natural question to ask. The answer is yes. Diatomaceous earth does work on springtails as well.
Diatomaceous earth is made from the residue of fossilized algae and can be purchased from the hardware store or online.
To spread diatomaceous earth, wear a mask and gloves so that you don’t accidentally inhale it. Next, sprinkle the powder around the perimeter of the room. Keep children and pets away until the springtail infestation is finished.
Neem oil and Other Essential Oils
Essential oils such as neem oil are natural pest controllers that can effectively remove springtails from your bed.
Not just neem oil, but others like clove oil, lavender oil, cedar oil, or peppermint oil, would do the job equally well if you sprinkle or spray a few drops on the bed, preferably twice a day. If you are looking for a stronger product, give Dr. Killigan’s Six Feet Under Non-Toxic Spray a try.
How To Get Rid of Springtails Instantly?
You can use both natural and commercial products to get rid of springtails. If the infestation is big, the methods described above might not work.
From the above solutions, vinegar and borax are probably the only ones that work instantly. If you need a quick fix to the problem, your best bet might be to hire exterminators instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do springtails infest beds?
Yes, springtails can infest beds. The main reason is that the beddings are often full of moisture, which attracts molds, springtails, and other insects. Springtails are attracted to excessive moisture, but mold is a plus because springtails can feed on molds.
Are springtails more active at night?
Springtails can be more active at night, but there is no specific study that proves this. However, most people will experience them at night when they are sleeping in their beds.
Do springtails crawl on humans?
Springtails aren’t parasitic. They don’t infest human skin or tissue actively. They are harmless to human beings. They can crawl on you, but they won’t do you any harm.
Where do springtails lay eggs?
Springtails lay eggs in groups or singularly, in moist areas, like damp soil, woods, or leaves. They choose a place or area where much organic matter can be found.
3 Comments. Leave new
Springtails can cause Myiasis in humans and pets. A nuisance is an understatement! Morgellons Disease is caused by these nano-sized creatures. They say they don’t bite but they burrow and reproduce in your hair follicles and looks like cystic acne leaving horrible scarring. BEWARE!
You are 100% correct… the population has exploded and so has my skin! This is the most awful nightmare I could imagine. The things I have experienced or honestly unexplainable …
Couldnt agree more… it’s a hell to ones life when it happens.. read up experiences of people’s lives turn upside down in Richard Kuhn’s book, who he himself is a sufferer. Theres people who committed suicide because of these creatures in their body which made them isolate from their families, friend and society
PLEASE DO NOT USE OR FEED SPRINGTAILS TO CURB MOLD!