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How to find, collect, and culture wild springtails
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Pavy R. 2023. Springtails US
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- Origin
- springtails-us
- Last opened
- Oct 22, 2026
Posted 5 August 2023, updated 23 November 2023.
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Checked on Oct 22, 2026 by a web request. The registry returned: How to find, collect, and culture wild springtails.
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Cited by 23 statements
Culture arid and semi-arid springtails
- Many arid species are pollinators in nature and can benefit from bee pollen in their diet. (at Food)
- For pollinator type arid springtails, Springtails US speculates that a tall bin with cross vents high up and plenty of litter leading to the top may help. In nature they climb plants for pollen in low humidity and can return to humid ground. This is a hypothesis, not a tested method. (at Further Techniques and Speculation)
Culture springtails on soil
- Soil can be compost, topsoil or coir. For newly caught species Springtails US advises the most organic matter you can find, and recommends compost because it holds a lot of edible organics. (at Substrate)
- Sterilize soil to remove animals that compete with springtails. Springtails US names deep freezing for 1 to 2 weeks, baking at or above 100 °C212 °F (boiling point) until all of the soil reaches the desired temperature, or baking for 2 to 3 hours at 74–79 °C165–175 °F, similar to pasteurization. Freezing or low temperature baking can preserve helpful microbes and fungi. (at Substrate)
- Springtails US advises dry substrate on one side and moist substrate on the other, so the springtails show you which they prefer. A moisture gradient is greatly beneficial for a lot of species. (at Substrate)
Expand and renew springtail cultures
- In wild collected springtails the sexes are lopsided, with far more females than males. Collect more individuals to improve the odds of getting a male. (at How to collect springtails)
Find, collect and culture wild springtails
- Springtails live on forest floors, lakeshores, under the bark of fallen trees, in and on rotting logs, under lawn pavers, in compost piles and bags of garden centre soil, on flowering plants, on sidewalks and on the surface of aquariums. (at Where to find springtails)
- Most species are tiny, so finding them takes patience and practice after you have picked a suitable place. (at Where to find springtails)
- A Tullgren funnel is a cut-down bottle holding a soil, litter or rotting wood sample, with a hot lamp above and a cup of water or moist paper towel below. It collects far more than springtails, especially mites that are very hard to separate. (at How to collect springtails)
- Springtails US now collects by hand with an entomology aspirator, which takes springtails without other pests. Prepare collection containers with a small piece of moist paper towel in a deli cup, and note the environment each type came from. (at How to collect springtails)
- Start with no fewer than 15 individuals of a species. Sexes are lopsided and females far outnumber males, so a bigger group improves the odds of getting a male. (at How to collect springtails)
- Mimic the environment where the springtails were found as closely as you can. Once you have had success, you can experiment with new set-ups. (at How to culture wild caught springtails)
- A larger enclosure allows more variation in humidity and moisture, but can make it hard for a small sample to reproduce. Use bins with a proper seal to prevent escapes and the entry of pests. (at Enclosure)
- Springtails US recommends plenty of ventilation on one side and none on the other, with the whole front quarter of a bin ventilated, to create a moisture and humidity gradient. Mesh of 35 microns or finer over the holes keeps springtails in and pests out. (at Ventilation)
- Most springtails do well on brewer's yeast, or better on a mix of many food sources so they have more choice. (at Food)
- Leaf litter, bark, egg crate or sphagnum moss gives extra food and micro-climates. Humidity is higher on the soil than halfway up a leaf, and higher again under bark than on bare soil. (at Further Techniques and Speculation)
- Springtails US reports that the giant European Tetrodontophora bielanensis lives in cool mountain regions and needs cooler temperatures to reproduce. Snow fleas such as Hypogastrura harveyi and Hymenophorura cocklei are mostly seen in winter, and one hobbyist reported better reproduction for H. cocklei in a fridge. (at Further Techniques and Speculation)
- Semi-aquatic species such as Podura aquatica have had limited success in culture. The genus Sminthurides has been kept without standing water, but long term success has not been reached. (at Further Techniques and Speculation)
- Always record the collection locality. It may matter for future study. (at Conclusion)
What to feed springtails and why not moldy rice
- Orange and red springtails do much better with a protein source such as fish flakes. (at Food)
- Arid springtails often do best with bee pollen as a main food. (at Food)
- Springtails US says Neanuridae and some other families often have specialised mouthparts and can only feed on suspensions such as slime molds. It speculates that some eat fungi from rotting wood or mushroom spores, and advises offering a variety of foods. (at Food)
- Sterilize springtail food to keep grain mites out, by baking it at or above boiling point until all of it has reached the desired temperature. (at Food)