Springtail Questions

I got springtails just over a month ago and their enclosure seems to be exploding with babies. Is this rate of reproduction normal? I got a small container (I’d guess around a few dozen) of springtails and put them in a 6 qt tub and the tub is literally crawling with them.

Red dots are next to springtails


Approximate size of previous picture


Also what are the ethics of putting springtails in isopod cultures? Would someone buy them and not want the springtails or would I just warn potential buyers that there’s springtails in there?

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When springtails get rolling, they are extremely prolific, so I would say your rate of reproduction is about spot on.

As far as “ethics” of adding springs to you isopod cultures… I would bet good money most isopod cultures already have springs in them, even if they were not intentionally added.

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Yea they multiply quickly…I have a colony thats got a ton of them compared to the starting amount. Oh and by the way congrats on your patience…It must have taken u a bit to post all them red dots Lol.

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It took me a few minutes, I’m sure I missed a lot more lol.

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Yeah most isopod cultures will have some springtails in them. You’ll want springtails in your isopod cultures because they’ll eat mold that could hurt the pods

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A couple more questions


What are the worm like things and are the black things mites? I’ve noticed the worms in my isopod colonies but I just noticed the black things. They seem to be around the food which is what the green blob is. Also how did they get in there, how do I get rid of them and how do I prevent them from getting in in the future?

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Hard to tell from pictures if those are mites…I have heard that mites are attracted to springtails and isopods (i think they consume them but not sure). If they are mites might as well discard the colony and start fresh. Have you had any mite issues lately with any if your reptiles?

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I haven’t had any reptile mites and I just checked a couple days ago as a standard health check. It seems they’re only looking for the food. Do mites just stay on the top area or will they go deeper? I’m thinking either dry it out so the springtails stay on the bottom or flood it and hopefully the springtails float and the mites die.

I know mites like humidity so I think they’d die if the environment got to dry but I’m not sure about the eggs. I’ve only delt with mites twice in my life so not an expert. Sorry can’t be more help. I mean first you got to ensure those are mites as I’m not really positive since pictures not real clear.

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Also I forgot to mention this but the “mites” are at least 1/3 the size of the smaller springtails if not smaller so I don’t think they could consume them. They seem like mites because they’re about less than 0.5 mm if I had to guess. If you click the picture to expand it you can kind of see the mites though I can’t get a better picture. I could get predatory mites which would “reset” the colony, no springtails, no mites, no pests.

The worms are maggots, the “black things” are their faces. These are probably fungus gnat maggots

image

They are there because you are putting too much food in, remove the waste food and/or cut back a little on what you are putting in for the springs to feed on

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Also, I’ve had another pest that’s been running around.
For reference the log in the first picture is an inch from the outer circumference to the inner circumference.

I think it's a springtail because it has 3 pairs of legs, has antenna, is about 1-1.5 mm (1/16"), and it can jump about a 12". What I'm not sure is if it's good or if I need to get rid of it. If I need to get rid of it I'm just going to buy predatory mites.
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Yeah, that is a spring.

They are not detrimental so no need to get rid of them

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