Springtails behave in a certain way that make them one of the most annoying and frustrating pests to control. There are many reasons why. First, I will list why they can be so frustrating. Second, I'll list some springtail facts so you can better understand this pest and last, I'll list what's most important when it comes to solving a local problem.
Why are springtail infestations so frustrating? Here is the short list…
- When springtails start to appear in your home, you're not seeing the "real" problem. Local treatments inside the home won't stop the invasion and if you've been spraying inside where you see them, you know exactly what I mean.
- Springtails can appear on freshly treated surfaces and you can't imagine how they can still be alive after all the spray you just applied!
- Springtails are a pest most service companies aren't prepared to handle. Consequently their treatments won't stop the problem and many times it will appear to make it worse. Additionally, there are many companies that refuse to even treat for this pest. But how can a treatment make the problem worse? This happens because many of the commonly used products these days act as flushing agents and when applied to the areas where the springtails are active, the chemical will both alert and flush springtails that aren't sprayed directly. The end result could be a mass exodus away from the spray which could route them inside the home.
- Springtails can invade by the thousands and they can do it quickly. Your home can become a mess in a matter of minutes once they emerge and many times this will happen at bad times (like when guests are visiting).
- Springtails are largely misunderstood so it's hard to get good answers when it comes to solving a local problem. This just adds to the frustration anyone with a problem can feel.
- Springtails will many times have established "paths" or what we call "exodus trails". These will be used over and over. Many times one house on the block or one building in a series can be the "end of the trail" so the net effect is a channeling of springtails from an acre or more to just one yard or home. Suffice to say this can be very frustrating to the person seemingly targeted!
Some springtail facts..
- Springtails nest down in the ground feeding on organic matter like dead plants, small microbes and anything recyclable.
- Springtails are the food of many insects. If you allow springtails to thrive on your property, they will most assuredly attract other pests like beetles, centipedes, roaches, ants, crickets and just about any other insect.
- Springtail problems start in dirt. They tend to live in topsoil where it's moist and damp. They love flower beds, lawns where grass clippings are recycled and left as mulch, up under pine bark, pine straw and most any wood chip bed as well as under rocks, slabs and any moist ground where it's both dark, shady and dank.
- Homes with basements usually have the top soil removed prior to the concrete being poured which can help keep them out of the home for a year or so after it's built. Slab homes have their concrete poured right on top of the springtails so within months of the home being built it will succumb to the springtail migrations and become infested. This is why so many new homeowners experience invasions and wonder how this can be happening to their new home.
- Springtails migrate when populations grow large or when they are attempting to move away from extreme heat, cold or moisture. This is when you start seeing them inside the home or up on the top of the ground. In fact, they will commonly migrate out of the ground in the winter during a warm period when the snow melts. At this time the saturated soil will cause them to rise up and out of the water where they'll appear on top of the snow. This may tend to happen at certain times of the year but in general, it will happen only when the population is large enough to support the migration and when it is capable, the conditions must exist to make them migrate. For these reasons you may see several migrations a year but then none the following year even though they are still present in the soil.
- Springtails will die once exposed and cannot live out in the open for any significant length of time.
- Springtails do not infest dressers, furniture, clothing, people, pets, rugs or anywhere out in the open where you see them. Again, all the springtails you see have left the confines of the ground nest seeking a new place to live and simply made a wrong turn. If left alone, they'll die. But if the problem area is left untreated, you'll continue to see them every time they migrate. Granted this might not happen much when your region is in a dry spell but when moisture abounds, so too will the springtails.
- There is no pesticide strong enough to stop them once they start invading. In other words, treating inside the home on top of baseboards, foundation walls, around door frames and windows won't stop them from getting inside. No doubt these treatments will help to prevent them from living out in the open as long as they might but again, they would naturally die anyway. But my point here is don't waste your time focusing on these areas; if you want stop them from entering the home, you'll need to treat the outside and in most cases this area will be both large and will require a lot of applications.
What will not work or help the problem!
- Simply spraying the inside of the home. This is a complete waste and though doing it won't hurt, it won't solve the problem.
- Spraying furniture, rugs, walls, attics, basements or crawl spaces.
- Washing your clothes, bedding, floors or countertops.
- Pouring bleach down the drain.
- Worrying about where they might be.
So then what is important if you want to control springtails?
- Moisture. First and foremost, springtails love moisture. When present, springtails will thrive. When absent, they dry up and disappear. Sometimes the moisture comes from excessive rainfall which you cannot control. Other times it comes from a neighbors sprinkler system which you probably still can't control. But your own watering can be controlled and if you aren't willing to reduce it, you'll need to treat the areas with some BIFEN GRANULES to keep it springtail free. An ongoing treatment regime will keep your soil springtail free and this alone is what will keep them out of the house.
- Flower beds, vegetable gardens, pine straw mulch piles, compost piles, potted plants, wood chip beds, grass clippings, leaves, weed barriers and just about anything that covers the ground can serve as a sort of "springtail oven" that will grow populations quickly if left untreated.
- When treating outside, don't think small; think big. In most cases, it's just about impossible to narrow down just where the springtails are coming from so don't try. Instead, use the "shotgun" approach and treat as much of the land surrounding the house as you can up to 10,000 sq/ft. After applying the Bifen Granules, spray out the CYONARA RTS. This 1-2 combination used monthly or even more in extreme cases will no doubt knock down the springtail population enough so there will be that many less to invade the home.
- Realize that any cement around the home like a patio, driveway, stoop, garage or shed can all be serving as a springtail haven. These slabs cover dirt, hold moisture, provide shade and when connected to the home present a direct way for migrating springtails to get inside to living areas. In some cases these areas will need to be treated as explained in our SPRINGTAIL CONTROL ARTICLE. This will be necessary to stop them from getting inside because again, if the population explodes so much and they start migrating, there is no chemical we have that will stop them cold in their tracks. That means you'll be subject to the invasion if you don't treat. And yes, the type of treatment needed in some of these situations is the drilling method explained in our article. Much like a termite job, by saturating the soil under the slabs with a chemical you can no doubt reach areas otherwise hidden and out of sight where problems can persist for many years. Tackling these areas are sometimes required for any long term control and springtail eradication but it's hard to say whether such extremes are needed at first. Only after you're sure you've treated all open and accessible areas should you try to cover these remote locations. But in some cases they must be treated somehow and the actual application can be tricky, time consuming and difficult. But if you're goal is to create a springtail free zone, you may have to go this route.
- Remove as much of the organic matter, ground cover and other springtail "enablers" around the home. Removing this material will indirectly reduce the moisture level which in turn will directly reduce the amount of springtails that can survive. Alternatively you can simply apply the Bifen Granules and Cyonara on a regular basis and these treatments alone will many times be enough to keep the numbers down.
- Seal any direct routes of entry into living areas. Common locations where they gain access include expansion joints in concrete, pipe entry ways through slabs and basement walls, electric line entry points, in ground ventilation ducts and bathroom trap boxes where water and drain lines run. This is usually just under the faucet heads of the bath tub or shower stall.
- Fix any leaks on the home related to a bad water pipe, a poorly draining air conditioning unit or a leaky roof. Such areas can become secondary nest sites for migrating springtails that find their way inside and if you don't stop the moisture, you won't stop the springtails.
Lastly, be patient! Springtails are very much like the herpes virus. Most people don't know they have herpes until they have an outbreak. And though there are medications that can help to control outbreaks, these treatments will only help to minimize the symptom because there is no cure. The same is true for springtails. These guys exist deep down in the ground and when conditions are right, they are able to reproduce to such levels that they migrate out into the open (like a herpes sore). Treatments for springtails (Cyonara, Bifen, Granules, D-Force, etc.) will help to minimize the symptom but they will not be treating the source of the problem and therefore are not a cure. Remember, the Cyonara or Bifen applied to the turf may only penetrate an inch or two when you first treat; maybe 4-6 inches over a long period of time. But springtails live much deeper than the treatments will initially penetrate which means you'll still have massive reproduction happening for some time to follow after you start treating. But if you stay the course, over time the rain and other natural events will enable the treatments to get deeper and deeper to where the springtails are nesting. Eventually this penetration will help to reduce the amount of reproducing that's going on which in turn will help to reduce the amount of springtails you see above ground. But don't expect to see much of anything positive following your first month or two of treatments. In other words, expect to see live springtails moving over the treated soil even a day following a thorough application. How can this happen? Well, the treatment no doubt killed all the springtails up at the soils surface. But again, there are countless millions waiting to get up and out into the open from far deeper than the chemical has penetrated and as they migrate up over the dead springtails, the treatments will take longer and longer to kill the newly emerging population. Sure they'll be dying in a day or two but by that time so many more will have emerged the net result will be lots of live ones with the dead ones disappearing back into the soil. The net effect will make it seem as though nothing is dying but in fact they are; it's just very hard to tell when there are so many emerging. Eventually (1-6 months into the program) you'll see a reduction in how many are emerging. And if you stay the course and treat monthly over a 1-2 year period, you'll no doubt get to the root of the problem which in turn will make the "outbreaks" of springtails emerging a thing of the past. Will springtails still be present in the yard down in the ground? Undoubtedly yes. But if you keep these numbers in check by treating, you won't have the visible outbreaks. When springtails exist in balance, they'll essentially be living in the soil and dying there without ever being seen.
In summary, if you currently have springtails invading, there is a really only one thing you need to do and that is to focus your attention on the outside of the home where they are likely breeding. If you treat all areas you stand the best chance of getting rid of them quickly. If you spot treat, there is a greater chance the problem will be ongoing since it's so easy to miss a spot or too.
If you have reason to believe they could be in your roofing due to a leak, treat there with the DELTAMETHRIN DUST or D-FORCE AEROSOL. But these areas will become inhabitable once the moisture problem is stopped so in most cases they will require both a treatment and some mechanical work to fix the problem leading the nesting for long term control.
Be sure to read our SPRINGTAIL CONTROL article so you can better understand this pest and some of the other ways to treat and prevent their migrations from getting inside the home. Getting the outside will no doubt keep them from getting inside. And since their population no doubt took years to grow to this size, it's important to understand it will most likely take 6-12 months to reduce their population enough to make a difference so have patience. Lastly, if you still have questions, give us a call toll free at 1-800-877-7290 and one of our technical reps should be able to further assist.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Springtail Control Article: http://www.bugspray.com/article/springtail.html
Bifen Granules: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page719.html
Cyonara RTS: http://www.bugspray.com/item/cyonara_rts.html
Deltamethrin Dust: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page723.html