What Property Owners in Texas Should Know About Springtails
Have you been noticing tiny pests hopping around inside your home? You could be dealing with springtails. If you have never heard of springtails, don’t worry, most homeowners haven’t. If you would like to learn about springtails and find out a quick way to stop them, here is everything you need to know.
What Are Springtails?
Springtails are tiny six-legged pests. If you have a ballpoint pen around, take a look at its tip. That’s how tiny springtails are. By their nature, springtails are agricultural pests. This means they spend most of their time outdoors around plants. The good news is that they aren’t harmful to plants. Plants benefit from the way springtails eat damaging organisms like fungi. Springtails will also eat rotting wood, pollen, algae, and decaying organic matter. All in all, this is extremely beneficial to both plants and the environment.
Why are They Called Springtails?
Connected to the backside of every springtail is a fork-shaped body part called a furcula. This long appendage acts as a spring when springtails are threatened and can propel them into the air upwards of 4.6 feet. This behavior often causes springtails to be confused with fleas, a much more dangerous and invasive pest found all over Texas.
Where do Springtails Live?
Although springtails are primarily outdoor pests, they can sometimes find their way inside. When they do, they tend to stick around potted plants, bathrooms, kitchens, and other humid areas of a home. Springtails become the most problematic for homeowners when they invade in large numbers. As you can imagine, having thousands of tiny bugs hopping around your home is not fun.
Are Springtails Dangerous?
Despite being referred to as snow fleas, springtails do not feed on blood as fleas do. Nor do they pose any other threats to us, our pets, or our homes. Springtails are largely considered to be nuisance pests. However, just because they don’t pose any direct threat to us or our homes, that doesn’t mean springtails don’t come without their drawbacks. Springtails can invade in large numbers. Furthermore, they can be incredibly hard to get rid of once they have made their way inside of your home. And, you simply don’t want bugs living in your house. Overall, there are plenty of reasons you don’t want springtails invading your property.
How To Tell If You Have Springtails or Fleas
The best way you can tell whether you have fleas or springtails is to catch one of the leaping pests inside your home. We recommend doing this by using a piece of see-through tape. This way, once you have caught one, you can take a close look without them squirming, jumping, or trying to get away. Take a look for two things, a fork-like appendage on their rear, and long antennae. If both of these features are seen, you have springtails, not fleas.
Some Prevention Tips For Springtails
Just because springtails are tiny, doesn’t mean they cannot be prevented. With a little effort, you can make your home less susceptible to invasion. Here are a few tips our experts recommend.
- Inspect weather stripping around your home and make sure it is all in good condition.
- Check your window and door screens and repair or replace any that have been ripped or torn.
- Make sure all of your exterior doors are equipped with door sweeps.
- Repair leaky pipes and fixtures in and around your home.
- Fix broken gutters and downspouts.
- Use a dehumidifier inside your home.
- Invest in quality pest control services.
- Purchase some liquid caulk and a caulking gun and use them to seal gaps, cracks, and holes around the exterior of your home. If it is much colder or warmer outdoors than it is inside your home, you can use your hand to feel leaks of heat and cold to find entry points.
The best way to keep springtails and a number of other common home-invading pests out is with high-quality pest control services. At Bill Clark Pest Control, we offer a wide range of pest control solutions for any pest that you are having trouble with. If your home is in need, we have your answer. Give us a call today to find out more about how we handle pests.