Springtails or mites ?

[laurent]

Hi there,

I'm having doubts ! I have recently discovered crawling around my retis some tiny elongated white thingies. They're of variable sizes, from half a millimeter to a couple (deduction number 1 : youngsters and adults). They seem to have come in with some subtrate I added to compensate for the usual cleaning.

How do I make the difference between nice and shinny cleaners, and bloodthirsty buggers ?

Thanks,
Laurent

[goose]

I beleive springtails are more elongated and tend to jump, hence the name.

[AlienSnail]

The pest mites, those harmful little critters, are very round, slow, and tiny, less than a mm.

I'm not sure what you have there but it doesn't sould like those pest-mites.

As Goose says, springtails jump, so if your's jumps I would place my bet on them being springtails.

If they don't jump I'm not sure what they are.

[welsh]

i'm glad this subject was brought up as i started to wounder if i had spring tails or mites, since i saw a pic of erics springmites and they seem hudge, but mine defently jump and are fast horrid little creatures just can't seem to get rid of them, i did have a major clean out but i guess it only takes one or two hiding on the snails and they breed like mad just have to learn to live with them.

[AlienSnail]

Nov 20, 2008 13:55:46 GMT welsh said:

i'm glad this subject was brought up as i started to wounder if i had spring tails or mites, since i saw a pic of erics springmites and they seem hudge, but mine defently jump and are fast horrid little creatures just can't seem to get rid of them, i did have a major clean out but i guess it only takes one or two hiding on the snails and they breed like mad just have to learn to live with them.

Your's certainly sound like springtails. The snails won't mind them being there, they eat poop too, so they're a help.

BUT I have to admit that when I'm looking in at my tanks and see them in vast quantities it does look like the tanks are infested with something. I regularly reduce mine by skimming the top layer as most of them congregate around there, it never takes long for the population to explode though!

[laurent]

Hi,

I've been doing some research, and found nothing about the tiny things crawling on my snails' shells. I've however found something that might be of some interest in the compound of some plants at home. They look like Folsomia candida or Proisotoma minuta (Collembola family), but have a tendency to jump... so could they be springtails, or do collembola actually jump ?

LAurent

[MasterOfArts]

Whats the leg count?

'Most'mites that I know off have 8 legs as they are related to spiders and more round in shape. As we all know insects have 6 legs.

A jewelers loop with both 30x & 60X should help you see them clearer especially if it has a little light on it.

Be prepared to see things like dust mites, wee shiny silvery springtails etc etc in the soil and on your snail both are harmless.

Hopefully this helps you out a bit.

All the best



Edit: and I have just noticed how old this thread is lol

[jolovessnailies]

Thanks hunni for that advice even if the post goes back a bit. It is never wasted if you learn something.

Hugs
JO xx

[MasterOfArts]

Well I know camomile tea works on some Acari (the taxa that contains mites and ticks).

I also hear it could be beneficial as an insect repellent from what I can find relating to gardening online.

I was discussing this topic over in pet snails and when I get the time I am going to gather things like springtails, dust mite etc get the microscope out and have a look a bit closer the effect it has.

[jolovessnailies]

That sounds like a great project MOA love, please let me know how it progresses.

Hugs
Jo xx

[MasterOfArts]

Well I can report that last night I showered both snails and sprayed the enclosure with cool camomile tea as I had some very small native springtails in the setup.

I also removed the moss (springtails love and breed in moss), at surface level only I have noticed I cannot see any more springtails.

That doesnt mean they arent still there, some could still be below the surface level.

So I am going to continue with spraying the enclosure and bathing the snails in it for about a week and see how it goes.

I do want springtails and will add some from my own colony of exotic types in near future as they are easier to see thus easier to control and of course make a fantastic cleaning crew like the rest of the species types.

This is probably the time of year a lot of our native critters make way into our homes, sence the heat and dampness of our soils and think lets live in there.

Then the other side is I feel bad because even these ones I found are both great at cleaning our soil and our snails plus its usually rule of thumb in the Zoological world is that if an insect, arthropod etc etc has chewing mouth parts they very rarely carry any pathogens or disease, nor do they harbour it.

What they can carry though is things like mibi certain types of bacteria or fungal spores but nothing really that can affect your snail or snail habitat.

[jolovessnailies]

That is so interesting hunni, I really must get some little critters for my snailies. Quite a lot of the insects I love have quite strong mouthparts and are therefore disease free. I have always thought of insects as clean little things on the whole. A praying mantis, for example, is always preening.

Hugs
Jo xx

[dantepruitt]

It is very important to inspect for the mites very nicely as they are very difficult to identify. Certain essential oils are deadly to mites but it is necessary to find compounds that are also not dangerous to animals. While dealing with mites infestation it is also very important to maintain the moisture control. If you are unable to deal with an infestation on your own, it is better to consult exterminator NJ professionals to offer effective and safe pest control methods.

[jolovessnailies]

Thanks for that too sweetie.

Hugs
JO xx

[GrandTouringShell]

LOL this thread will turn 10 years old in a little less than two months! 😂🐌