SPRINGTAIL CONTROL

   This article is about SPRINGTAIL control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   Springtails are a nuisance in and around homes all
across the United States and other countries. They are
small creatures, measuring only .04 to .1 inches, but
because they emerge in such great numbers they can be
annoying, scary and even embarrassing. This article
will detail some basic biological information about
this insect, explain why they are a pest and then
offer solutions for solving your problem. Be sure
to click on products where they appear underlined in
the text of this article to see packaging and pricing
of the products needed to control this pest. And you
should find this video informative and helpful if you
plan on doing some treatment. Our in house Springtail
expert does a good job of explaining what you need to
do for this pest as well as demonstrate how to use the
products recommended below.



   Springtails are small insects which thrive where there
is a lot of moisture. This can be in bathrooms, kitchens,
basements, crawl spaces, behind walls, under siding, under
mulch and just about anywhere moisture is prevalent and
persistent. Springtails do not do any damage nor do 
they bite but because they will emerge enmass, people fear
them. Springtails are commonly mistaken for fleas, ants or
termites but are dramatically different. They eat mold,
mildew, fungus and decaying organic matter which is
usually present in moist areas. They can be found in
great numbers in homes which have been built for several
years or in homes which are new. Springtails prefer to
live under slabs, mulch, around drain lines, under house
siding or under piles of wood. They will readily move under
siding if moisture is conducting there and from there
move into homes. Springtails are readily found under slabs,
cabinets and under bathtubs where it is both dark and
moist. The author has inspected many homes where large
populations were found to be in wall voids. On several
occasions the numbers were in the tens of thousands!
This occurred because the population was never treated
directly. The emerging swarms were quickly cleaned
but the nest sights left intact. This allowed them to 
continue to populate, breed and thrive.
   Springtails will develop into many sizes and shapes -
even in the same colony - but the one constant among
them is their ability to jump. They have an appendage,
called a "furcula", which loads like a spring. When
threatened, they will release this spring and propel
themselves away from danger - hence the name springtail. 
They will move in short runs, then rest, and then move 
again. Since they can withstand extremely cold 
temperatures, they have been known to emerge
any time of the year. It is not uncommon to find
them active in the middle of the winter equally
as likely as the middle of summer. On a warm sunny
day during winter you may come across a migration
which has occurred and see them active on top of
snow! Though they will probably die if they
don't get back down into the soil, they will
remain active quite a long time even while
exposed to such a harsh climate. 
   Springtails become a problem in and around the 
home when they begin to appear inside, around
pools or in garages. The first time or two they
emerge no one may notice. Once they establish
themselves, however, their numbers will be so
large that they will be very evident when they
come out. Expect to see tens of thousands of
them as they cover the kitchen floor, sinks, tubs, 
basements, pool areas and patios. It's important to
understand that this behavior is just a symptom of the
real problem. In other words, what you are seeing is
not where the problem resides but rather a migration
of them from an overly populated area in search of
somewhere new that they can infest. Many times people
will see piles of springtails on their patio or basement
floor and think that spraying this area will stop them.
Nothing can be further from the truth. If you don't 
treat where they are nesting, you will continue to see
them piling up in these same areas over and over. And
don't be confused by springtails found in your sink
or tub. As stated above, springtails will find drain
pipes in the home and follow them because they are moist.
Where these pipes enter the home and the wall voids
where they travel in the home are where the springtails
will travel. Eventually the trail will end at a sink
or tub and at that point, they will find overflow ports, 
drain pan or pipe vents and forage into the sink or
tub. In other words, they aren't coming up from the pipe
but are in fact traveling along the pipe in the wall
or under the ground to gain access to these areas. Once 
they come out they are easy to kill but if you want to 
get rid of them for good you will have to treat them
where they are nesting or at least where they are
traveling.
   First, try to determine where they are nesting.
Though they can live under mulch, they can and
do readily live in moist soil. If you water your
yard the constant level of moisture could be
more than high enough to allow them to live. 
Springtails like to live under patio slabs, around
the decking of pools, under logs, pinestraw, wood
chips, plastic weed preventive sheathing laid
in flower beds, under wood decks built on the
ground, in bath traps, under kitchen or bathroom
sinks, under linoleum, around jacuzzis or hot
tubs, in crawl spaces and in the basement. If
the siding of your home is prone to being
moist, they will readily move up and under the
sheathing, into insulation or behind sheet rock.
Finding the nest is critical to stopping the
migrating and relocating masses that will
happen throughout the year. Remember that it 
will be somewhere wet, damp and dark. It is 
generally very close to where you first find
them since they don't move too quickly. If you
come upon a migration, chances are they emerged
somewhere very close to where you found them.
   Once the nesting areas are found, try to determine
why it is moist. If outside, there may be little
that can be done to help minimize the water content.
If in crawl spaces, consider why it is so moist
in this area. Install more ventilation if needed.
Wall voids where they are active could have leaks
around windows, door frames or light fixtures.
Seal these areas to prevent water from accumulating
there as well as many of the other damaging
insects like carpenter ants or termites. If under
sinks, inspect to make sure you don't have a leaky
pipe. The same is true in bathrooms and basements.
By reducing and/or eliminating moisture sources
you will reduce the areas in which these pests
can live. The use of HUMIDITY METERS around the
home can be a great help at identifying problem
locations. Since it is sometimes hard to determine
just where the moisture is highest, these meters
can really help.
   Once the moisture has been identified, you will
still have to deal with existing populations of
springtails. Though drying infested areas will
help reduce their activity, springtails are mobile
and will readily move from one location to
another in search of moisture. If your problem
is located under mulch, pinestraw or wood chips,
you will need to use two products for quick control.
   BIFEN GRANULES are weather resistant and do
a great job of penetrating mulch and other damp
areas where springtails are known to hide. Apply
them with a HAND SPREADER over the infested area 
and be sure to treat as many of the same areas 
around your property since it is likely infestations 
will start there if they have not already. Bifen 
will release slowly over a month or two and will provide
continuous control during this time. However, it
does not kill quickly. To kill existing populations
quickly, use a liquid spray.
   CYONARA RTS is a great material to apply over
the top of Bifen. It will both activate the Bifen
and provide a quick knockdown of current springtail
activity. Just hook it to your garden hose and
get to work spraying over all the areas where
you applied the granules. This should be along
the turf adjacent to the home including mulch 
piles, flower beds and any other turf where
springtail activity is seen or thought to be 
a possible nest site. This material will provide 
a quick knockdown so you'll see instant results.
And the water used to apply it will help get
the Bifen going into the soil which is fundamental
for solving springtail problems. However, if the
springtails are nesting under a slab, you will
have to do more than just spray around it.
   Springtails nesting under pool decking or
patio slabs need to be treated differently than
just sprinkling some granules and spraying. These
infestations need to be treated like a termite job. This
involves drilling holes, around every foot or
two, through which you will pump some BIFEN.
Use one of our SPRAYERS to apply the material through
the holes. You can do this by removing the adjustable
nozzle on our sprayer and then pumping directly
into the hole. You will get good flow and coverage
doing it this way. Areas which are treated for 
termites generally never get springtails because 
the termite treatment stops them. Since areas
around pools are rarely if ever treated, they tend
to attract springtails. One of the most common
locations for springtails to nest is just under
the decking and cement slabs that are used to
surround in ground pools. The only way such
nests can be properly treated is to either lift
the decking and treat under it or drill holes
and pump the Bifen down. The same is true
for patio slabs and walkways - particularly
where the slab attaches to the home. Drill 1/2 inch
holes and inject the Bifen for quick and complete
control. Apply around 1/2 gallon per hole if drilled
every foot. This will take care of nest sights once
and for all preventing further migration. After you
have treated under slabs, be sure to surface spray
foundations, walkways and any other surface you
have seen the springtails or suspect them to be
active. You should be able to use the same sprayer
for this application and since the Bifen will
provide residual, there will be a chemical barrier 
there to stop them from successfully migrating else
where. And the same applies to the trap or dirt area
under tubs which are sitting on a slab. This is one
of the most common locations used by springtails
to enter a home. They find the drain line outside
the home, follow it up under the slab and then enter
through the trap and into the tub. It's easy to stop
them if you cut an access hole to the trap. This can 
many times be done from inside the home, from the other
side of the wall where the tub sits. Such walls
are commonly closets or other areas where an access
hole can be made discreetly. Regardless of how you
gain access, failure to treat this area means the
springtails (and other pests too) will use this
port to enter your home. Treat it with the Cyfluthin
heavy and in most cases, they'll never be able to 
come up from there again.
   If you have them inside the home, you will have
to treat under these slabs as well. This will
involve drilling and treating but will take care
of this nuisance pest once and for all. However,
it is very common to have them nesting under
cabinets or in wall voids. Treat these areas
with DELTAMETHRIN DUST for long term control. This
dust is unique in that it will not break
down when wet - a condition which is generally
present where springtails are living. Apply it
with a HAND DUSTER. This tool will let you
"blow" the dust 3-6 feet, deep under cabinets
and into walls. If you don't have easy access
holes through which to pump the dust, simply
drill holes every 2 feet 1/4 inch wide. This
will allow you to spray into the void properly
getting good coverage. Make such holes through
siding, sheetrock, paneling or any other wall
void you believe they may be nesting. Pump
1 lb of Deltamethrin Dust for every 500 sq/ft of wall
space. It will last a long time making sure
to break the cycle of springtails. And it will also
stop them from following drain pipes. Since they
will readily travel up the wall following a drain
line, you'll have to dust these walls if you wish to
stop this behavior. This wall space is used for drain
lines which are upstairs in homes and apartment buildings
and springtails have been known to climb 10 stories up
using this "highway"! A good dusting of this space
will both stop them and prevent them from forming nests
so treat as much of it as possible.
   If they are thriving in a crawl space which
is moist a lot of time, you can either treat
with Bifen by spraying it out over the top
of the soil or by dusting with the Deltamethrin Dust.
Spraying will only last a month or two per 
application so you will have to get down there
several times a year to break the cycle and
insure it does not develop again. The use of
the Dust will provide longer residual and thus
reduce the amount of times you will have to 
treat. Typically a good dusting will last at
least 6 months and can easily last over a year!
Apply the Deltamethrin Dust with a DUSTIN MIZER. This
unique hand operated power duster will enable 
you to blow the Deltamethrin Dust 20-30 feet providing
uniform and complete coverage.
   If you know they are coming out of specific
cracks around molding, window frames or light
fixtures and the white residue of the Deltamethrin Dust
is too messy, use some BAYGON AEROSOL for clean
and invisible crack and crevice treatment. It
won't solve the problem in the walls or under
slabs but it will provide a quick kill of the emerging
adults and keep them at bay until the long term
residuals do their job. Baygon is also good to
use outside where you have massive migrations
occurring. It also works well for other pests so
you will be able to put it to use for many
problems in and around the home.
   Springtails are a pest in and around the home
throughout the United States. They are able to live
in all types of soil and will thrive when wet, damp
conditions are available. Though easy to kill, you
must get to their nest sight if you intend on
breaking their cycle and preventing massive migration
and activity in the future. To do this you will
need to use a combination of the products featured
above. Two or three treatments will usually resolve
any level of infestation along with moisture
reduction and you should be able to knock them out
once and for all.

   If you have any questions about springtail 
control or any other pest control questions, please 
give us a call.  If you want to view some of the
products mentioned above, link to our catalog
by clicking on the product name that is in blue
or by clicking on the link below to our catalog.

Our toll free number is 1-800-877-7290.

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