Quick Guide / At-a-Glance
Affected Plants: Living plants and vegetables may occasionally be affected; springtails are more commonly associated with soil, leaf litter, decaying wood, fungi, and other moist habitats.
Primary Pests: Springtails (Collembola), including species such as Homidia socia and Isotoma species.
Primary Damage Symptoms: Holes and scarring on plant and vegetable surfaces; nuisance infestations in moist areas, including swimming pool drains and homes.
Most Important Prevention Strategy: Reduce excess moisture by correcting leaks, avoiding overwatering, reducing wet organic material and mulch, improving air circulation, and lowering indoor humidity.
Chemical Control: Chemical control is rarely necessary. For indoor invasions, perimeter insecticide sprays may provide temporary control, but reducing moisture is essential for lasting results.
Springtails in South Carolina
Springtails (Collembola) are tiny, jumping, soft-bodied arthropods that live in a variety of moist habitats including soil, leaf litter, decaying wood, and on the surface of water. They can occur in very large numbers and may even be a nuisance in swimming pool drains.
In North America, there are around 700 species of springtails, with a great diversity of species found in the southeastern United States.
Springtail Identification in South Carolina
Springtails are small, soft-bodied arthropods identified by their varied colors and body shapes and by the furcula that enables them to hop when disturbed.
Identification
Once considered insects, springtails are now placed in their own taxonomic group (Collembola). Springtails are usually less than 6 mm in length, though most are 1-2 mm long (which is the width of a grain of rice). Most are often white, gray, yellow, brown or black; however, some species can be brightly colored, including red and blue.
Commonly encountered springtails are often elongate (i.e., longer than wide) but can also be globular or stout in shape. These arthropods have a “spring-tail” on their posterior end, called a furcula, that enables them to hop when they are disturbed.
Springtail Life History in South Carolina
Springtails are ametabolous, meaning they don’t undergo metamorphosis or pupate. Instead, springtails hatch from eggs into a juvenile stage and undergo a series of molts to reach maturity. Springtails will then continue to molt past sexual maturity, alternating between feeding and reproductive life stages.
Springtail mating is often indirect, with males depositing spermatophores (tiny packets of sperm) for females to find. However, some species engage in elaborate courtship rituals in which males deposit their spermatophores in a circle before dancing to encourage females to enter the circle and take up the spermatophores.
Ecological Role of Springtails in South Carolina
Most springtails are detritivores and feed on decaying organic matter, fungi, spores, pollen and even algae. Springtail feeding breaks up leaf litter and other decaying matter, providing nutrients for plants and microorganisms that live in the soil.
A commonly encountered springtail (Homidia socia) in South Carolina Photo credit: ©Kimberley R. Fleming, iNaturalist.org
Impacts of Springtails in South Carolina
Springtail Damage and Symptoms
Springtail damage and symptoms include:
- Occasional holes and scarring on plants and vegetables
- No biting
- No known disease transmission
- Generally not harmful to people or pets
- Rare dermatitis when handled
- No damage to buildings, sidewalks, or any other manufactured item
Springtail Management in South Carolina
Nonchemical Control of Springtails
Large numbers of springtails indicate excess moisture, which may be due to a water leak, excessive watering of plants, or high humidity. Reducing moisture levels in these areas often helps reduce springtail populations within a few days.
Correcting these moisture issues may involve:
- Finding and fixing water leaks
- Removing wet wood
- Reducing the amount of mulch in an area
- Allowing potted plants to dry-out before re-watering
- Reducing organic materials on the ground
- Increasing air circulation
Inside the home, de-humidifiers and air conditioning can also be used to lower moisture levels that might attract springtails.
Springtails may migrate indoors looking for moisture during periods of drought.
Chemical Control of Springtails
Chemical control of springtails is rarely necessary as these creatures provide a valuable ecological role. However, when springtails are invading homes insecticide sprays directed around the perimeter of buildings (especially in areas where springtails are likely to reside) can be effective. However, insecticides break down quickly in moist environments and provide only temporary control unless the environment is altered (i.e., the moisture is reduced).
In garden settings there are a variety of chemical treatment options that can be used for springtails. Be sure to pay attention to pesticide labels, as some of these products are intended for management of pests in turf or ornamental plants, not vegetables.
Originally published 12/99
