Springtails and springtails how to deal with them. Collembolas, springtails, podura in indoor plants

The smallest arthropods - springtails arise in large quantities with improper care of indoor plants.

Their appearance serves as an indicator that the grower needs to reconsider some of his habits (pour a lot of water into pots, use tea leaves for feeding or water after washing meat products). Nailtails (podura) do not bring much harm to the room collection of flowers, but spoil its appearance with their gray mass. With a large accumulation of springtails, they are able to change their habitual lifestyle and diet, switch to eating living plants, for example, gloxinia, orchids (oncidium, miltonia), violets.

Why Springtail Colonies Attack Houseplants

When watering, one can notice accumulations of springtail bodies on the surface of the soil and not absorbed water. They are tiny (0.25-6 mm), elongated or rounded, 6 legs. Podurs are wingless creatures of gray, white, brown color that slowly crawl along the substrate, jumping for short distances.

Springtails belong to the subclass Collembola. Representatives of this group of insects develop in the soil and feed on dead plant organs, fungi, algae, and bacteria. Springtails are able to change their diet and damage the delicate parts of plants. They do not attack humans and animals.

In moist soils with a high content of organic matter, at a favorable temperature, springtails multiply rapidly. As soon as the earth ball dries up, the springtail body begins to lose moisture. The entire colony goes in search of a wetter substrate.

Podura enter the house from the street if the lawn or flower bed is dry. Penetrate through ventilation openings, cesspools, any sources of moisture around the premises. In damp rooms, they can even be found in furniture. As soon as the pockets of mold and moisture disappear, springtails die or go in search of favorable places.

How to protect plants from springtails

It is necessary to create conditions unacceptable for springtails, then their colonies will not appear in flower pots, on window sills. Great importance acquire agricultural practices. They should be aimed at eliminating factors that contribute to the reproduction of insects. You can use the following infection prevention methods:

• When transplanting plants, do not use substrates that contain decaying organic residues, green films of algae, white hyphae of mycelium.
• Water only when the topsoil is dry. Pour in enough water so that its surface is about 1 cm.
• Do not use easily decomposing products as organic dressings (tea leaves, coffee, rotted leaves, dairy products).

When rotting various waste in pots with indoor plants, conditions arise for the growth, development and reproduction of springtails. In this case, colony control measures are applied based on folk methods or the use of insecticides.

• removal of the topsoil (2 cm);
• creation of an insulating layer of calcined sand (1.5–2 cm on the soil surface);
• watering plants with infusions of yarrow or tobacco;
• treatment of substrates with a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate);
• twice watering the soil in pots with insecticide (with a weekly interval). Aktara, Actellik, Bazudin, Inta-vir, Kinmiks Fitoverm preparations are used.

A good effect is the treatment of window sills, baseboards, floors in the bathroom and kitchen with a solution of soda or soap. Alkaline environment, lack of moisture is detrimental to springtails. If possible, all sources of mold and water bloom should be eliminated. These can be faulty faucets, damaged pipes, old wooden tubs with houseplants.

Plunging deep into the Internet and learning more and more about this animal on various sites, I began to be tormented by vague doubts about what the springtail actually does more: harm or benefit. It seems to be the direction of an article about the fight against this obviously harmful insect, but the Internet increasingly gave out pages about how useful this arthropod is for nature.

However, all this will be written in the article, and before starting your dive into the material, admire the greatly enlarged photo of the springtail.

Biology springtail

Let's start with terminology. In another way springtails are called or springtails. They belong to insects of the cryptomaxillary class. They number more than eight thousand studied species, and it’s scary to say that they appeared on Earth already in the Devonian period, and this was about 420 million years ago.

Springtails cannot boast of large sizes, their usual length is from one to five millimeters, although among them there are dwarfs a tenth of a millimeter long, and giants that grow up to seventeen.

The springtail can be externally divided into two distinct groups:

• The group of elongated springtails is distinguished by an elongated, sometimes worm-like, arthropod body. Such furry worms, in a word.
• A group of spherical bellied springtails. From above, they resemble small turtles.

Interesting! After writing these lines and re-reading them, I felt myself in the role of the respected Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov, to whom I wish long life!

The color of springtails is diverse, it is easier not to name some color than to list everything. In addition to monochromatic coloring, there are species with stripes or specks on the body.

Nutrition

In many ways, the benefit or harm of a creature depends on what they eat. If a mosquito drinks blood, it is clear that it is a harmful insect, but what about springtail?

This is where the first inconsistencies with its declared sabotage essence begin. The fact is that springtails are mainly based on dead organic matter. Biologists list such food objects inherent in podura:

• mushrooms;
• lichens;
• dead organic matter.

Only a few springtail species are able to digest the living organic tissue of higher plants.

On a note! Springtails do not bite people and animals!

Lifestyle

As for the life territory of springtails, we can say that this insect can be found almost everywhere. Some species have even adapted to sliding on the water surface. But most springtails live on the dead wood of fallen trees or stumps, in the forest floor, under garden mulch. The main thing is that there is high humidity, these insects do not tolerate dryness very well.

It is especially good to watch springtails on a clear sunny day, when they crawl out to the surface and, like a herd of cows, graze on their territory.

At the bottom of the abdomen, the springtail has a so-called jumping fork. This organ is attached to the abdomen in a calm state, however, in times of danger, it sharply straightens like a spring, and the insect flies up, as if thrown up by a catapult, to a height of five to ten centimeters.

Another organ, the abdominal tube, allows the springtail to land. It is located closer to the head of the animal, and so after a jump, when landing, the springtail releases a little sticky substance from this tube and sticks to the surface.

Benefit and harm

The time has come to express arguments for and against springtails. There is something about us humans that makes us lash out and kill even the most harmless creatures just because we don't like them. appearance or accidentally crossed our path. All of the above applies to springtails - they are completely harmless creatures.

However, there is a problem, and it needs to be solved, so we will first describe negative side this insect.

Harm

It is not the threat of being bitten or the danger of our food supplies that makes us fight the springtail. No, this is ordinary disgust, which can drive some people to panic.

Of course, it is unpleasant if you find a herd of springtails in your apartment. Instead of just picking them up and throwing them out on the street, we will start fighting them.

The most favorite places in our house for springtails, of course, are damp rooms: the corners of the kitchen under the sink, the corners under the plumbing in the bathroom. Special accumulations are observed in places of leaks. There, under the constant droplets of water, a mold fungus is formed - the favorite food of fools.

The appearance of springtails in a shining clean bathroom is perceived by people as something terrible, and the hand itself reaches for a bottle of Dichlorvos or another similar remedy.

The second case of sabotage can be observed on indoor plants. Here, springtails can crawl on the soil in a pot, and especially cheeky individuals even try to gnaw on leaves. Of course, here too it is necessary to take measures for destruction.

Benefit

Before you start fighting springtail even within the framework of a separate article, let's talk about what benefits these amazing creatures bring. Here we can observe two aspects of the usefulness of the insect.

Firstly, by eating tons of dead organic matter, springtails turn it into exactly the substance that all gardeners and gardeners adore - into humus. The faeces of these insects are almost ready-made food for microorganisms, and the products of subsequent decay are already absorbed by our plants. Therefore, the more various small creatures in your garden, we mean not only springtails, the faster dead organic matter will work to increase soil fertility.

The second benefit of springtails is their use as food for aquarium fish, reptiles or amphibians. On special sites for lovers of exotic fish, springtail breeding methods are even described, as they say, “for livestock feed”. They advise them there potato peels feed.

Struggle

Yes, we won’t touch the springtail in the garden, but we don’t have an aquarium, many readers will say. But for such an abomination to crawl in the bathroom, we will not allow. Therefore, the rest of the article will be devoted to the most sacred - the struggle for a just cause, how to get rid of springtails!

However, even here there are two sides of the coin: prevention and destruction. The first serves to prevent the invasion of the enemy, the second is used if the enemy does not surrender.

Prevention

All preventive actions to prevent springtails from appearing, they will be aimed at observing the rules for hygiene and dryness of the premises, so as not to create a breeding ground for insects. The second aspect of prevention is the accuracy and care in choosing the soil for planting indoor plants or vegetable seedlings.

If mold and other mushrooms are not grown in the bathroom or in the kitchen, springtails simply will not start, because they will have nothing to eat. And by keeping the premises dry, constantly ventilating and airing them, you basically eliminate the appearance of microorganisms that are nourishing for springtails. Also keep an eye on the amount of water when watering plants, excessive soil moisture will create insects good conditions for existence.

Destruction

Well, here we come to the most bloodthirsty part of our story. Now we will teach you how to destroy springtails, these cutest insects, with all sorts of folk and chemical means.

1. A small number of insects can simply be washed off with soapy water or sprayed on plants.
2. Sprinkle the ground with wood ash.
3. Treat springtail areas with chemical insecticides. The composition of the preparations should contain such active substances as bifenthrin, carbaryl or diazinon.
4. Create an insect barrier outside your home. Treat window and door frames, especially any small cracks, with substances that contain bifenthrin, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, diazinon fluvalinate, malathion, permethrin or pyrethrin.
5. Stop watering indoor plants abundantly. Let them dry for a while.

Advice! Do not bring your apartments to such an extent that insects will host them. Preventing disaster is much easier than dealing with it.

At the end of the article, we present a short video about the fight against springtails:

Description

Length about 1-2 mm. Colored from dark brown to blue-black. The head is hypognathic. The jumping fork is large. They live on the surface of the water in stagnant reservoirs (on ponds, canals and wetlands, in puddles) and on aquatic plants.

Write a review on the article "Water Springtail"

Notes

Literature

• Christiansen, K. et Bellinger, P. 1980. Part 1. Poduridae and Hypogastruridae, The Collembola of North America North of the Rio Grande, Grinnell College, Iowa, p.1-386.
• Hopkin, Stephen P. (1997): The Biology of the Collembola (Springtails): The Most Abundant Insects in the World. Natural History Museum (London).
• Noble-Nesbitt, J. 1963. J. Exp. Biol., 1963, 40, p.681-700.

Links

An excerpt characterizing the Water Springtail

- You, I think, are not interested?
“Oh, on the contrary, it’s very interesting,” Pierre repeated, not quite truthfully.
From the flush, they drove even more to the left along the road, winding through a dense, low birch forest. In the middle of it
forest, a brown hare with white legs jumped out in front of them on the road and, frightened by the clatter a large number horses, was so confused that he jumped for a long time along the road in front of them, arousing general attention and laughter, and only when several voices shouted at him, he rushed to the side and disappeared into the thicket. Having traveled two versts through the forest, they drove out to a clearing on which stood the troops of Tuchkov's corps, which was supposed to protect the left flank.
Here, on the extreme left flank, Bennigsen spoke a lot and ardently and made, as it seemed to Pierre, an important order from a military point of view. Ahead of the disposition of Tuchkov's troops was an elevation. This elevation was not occupied by troops. Bennigsen loudly criticized this mistake, saying that it was foolish to leave the high ground unoccupied and place troops under it. Some generals expressed the same opinion. One in particular spoke with military vehemence that they were put here to be slaughtered. Bennigsen ordered in his name to move the troops to the heights.
This order on the left flank made Pierre even more doubtful of his ability to understand military affairs. Listening to Bennigsen and the generals who condemned the position of the troops under the mountain, Pierre fully understood them and shared their opinion; but precisely because of this, he could not understand how the one who placed them here under the mountain could make such an obvious and gross mistake.

Characteristic

The size of the springtail body is extremely small and ranges from 0.2 to 10 mm. Moreover, the latter indicator can be observed only in a few species. These insects prefer to settle in places with high humidity and, as a rule, hide in small cracks. In conditions wildlife they live in the upper layers of the soil, under fallen leaves and between stones, where mosses, lichens, fungal mycelia and bacteria become their main food.

They also grow in residential areas. Representatives of these species settle in close proximity to the main source of food - the leaves of higher plants and waterlogged substrate.

These insects got their name due to the jumping fork, which is located in the lower part of the abdomen. If there is no need to move, this body is inactive, but it is always in a state of fully prepared. And when making a jump, it is released, hits the surface and the springtail flies up and slightly forward.

As for coloring, it can be different for podura. There are white springtails, as well as brown, gray and yellow, some may have integuments with a metallic sheen, transverse stripes, marbled and dotted patterns. At the same time, individuals with white color live mainly in the soil and almost never come to the surface. They do not have a jumping fork, so they move exclusively on their short legs, which, when viewed from above, often remain invisible.

Protection of indoor plants

In the substrate in which they are grown houseplants, the most common springtails are white, gray, greenish, brown and with a metallic sheen.

If springtails were found in the soil of indoor plants, then this signals that the substrate is too waterlogged. When there are few insects, they will not cause much harm, but with a large accumulation, they can damage the underground part of the shoot or the root system.

Prevention

On a note! If you are going to plant streptocarpus and senpolia, then the substrate should be steamed beforehand and only then seeds should be sown into it. At the same time, it is necessary to choose an airtight container that will make the soil absolutely inaccessible to springtails. This is especially important with low seed germination.

Destruction measures

The fight against springtails becomes necessary when their numbers are quite large and at the same time they have already begun to destroy plants. In this case, you can offer several options.

• Apply one of the systemic insecticides. These include "Aktara", "Aktellik", "Confidor", "Fufanon" and "Mospilan".
• Reduce watering and simultaneously sprinkle the soil surface with a centimeter layer of wood ash.
  

  Important! For plants that prefer acidic soils this method does not fit!

• Use mustard powder, which must be scattered in the same way as the wood zone - a layer of 1 cm.
• Cut the potatoes in half and lay them cut side down on the ground. After a while, the podura will stick to the cut, after which you will only have to throw away the used halves.

Aquarium protection

If you notice on the surface of the water in the aquarium small insects, rest assured - these are springtails. They can also sit on the walls or under a glass cover, and when moving, make sharp jumping movements. They are attracted to the aquarium by the same high humidity and dampness, which are the most optimal conditions for their life.

Often, green growths on the walls, which are formed due to the rapid increase in humidity, are attracted to the Podur aquarium. And that, in turn, occurs during the operation of the sprayer, when small droplets of water fall on the walls and cover. It is they who contribute to the rapid formation of a layer of organic matter.

On a note! For springtails, the latter is a source of food, which is why they rush into the aquarium to saturate!

Getting rid of springtails in this situation is quite easy: since organic growths for these insects are very attractive, it is enough to thoroughly wash the aquarium, removing the food source. And for prevention, this procedure should be performed regularly.

Bathroom

If the springtail settled in the bathroom, then the measures to combat it may be as follows:

• First of all, try to reduce the humidity in the room, and if you succeed, then with a high degree of probability the insects themselves will leave it or die and nothing else will have to be done.
• With the help of an ordinary fan, increase the flow of fresh air - this way it will be possible to eliminate dampness.
• In those places where there is increased humidity, mold and fungus, which feed on colembolas, should be removed.
• Make sure that all pipes and other possible sources of water leakage are repaired. Most common cause The appearance of springtails in the bathroom are leaky pipes.
• Before applying chemical insecticides, try using natural insecticides such as soapy water. To prepare it in a spray bottle, combine a small portion of soap (a tablespoon) and water (half a liter), and then treat with the resulting liquid all the areas where springtails were seen.

On a note! Springtails are very small, so just sweeping them out of the bathroom with a broom will not work. The best option is soapy water!

In general, getting rid of springtails in an apartment is not so difficult. It is enough to ensure good ventilation in all rooms, repair cracks in window frames and door frames, and also monitor the tightness of window sills. These simple measures will not allow moisture to penetrate your home, and, accordingly, protect it from fools.

If you live in a private house, then in this case, constantly monitor its wooden parts and replace damaged wood in time. And the formation of cracks will help prevent the waterproof finish. If springtails are found, purchase a special insecticide that is used to treat exterior walls and use it in pest areas.

Advice! Processing of the outer walls and the adjacent area is best done in the afternoon, it is possible in the evening, but only before dusk, when the springtails are still quite active!

Thus, you can eliminate the source of the spread of infection. Similar drugs can also be used for prevention, creating an external barrier that will destroy insects trying to get inside the house.

Springtail (collembola) is a small (1-2 mm), jumping insect with an elongated body that lives in the upper layers of the soil. They are very fond of high humidity, so they appear in the soil with excessive watering of indoor plants. They can be seen after watering the plants, insects will float on the surface of the water or actively jump in different directions. Springtails feed on various microorganisms and rotten plant debris; as a rule, they do not cause severe harm to plants. Their appearance signals excessive soil moisture in a flower pot. With a large accumulation of springtails in the soil, they can damage the roots and underground shoots of plants.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance of insects, the soil should not be waterlogged. If the springtails are still wound up in the soil, then it needs to be dried a little and further watering is slightly reduced, you can transplant the plant into new soil, providing good drainage. Folk remedies will help in the fight against.

Folk remedies

• Sprinkle the soil in a pot with wood ash (a layer of 0.5-1 cm), while reducing watering (this method is not suitable for, and other plants that prefer acidic soil);
• Sprinkle the soil with mustard powder, in a layer, 1 cm thick;
• Put the potatoes cut in half on the soil with the cut down, after a few hours throw it away with the stuck insects, repeat this procedure several times.

With a strong spread of springtails, it is advisable to apply (, fufanon). Their solution should be poured over the soil in a pot.

Video about nails. How springtails eat.