Springtails are found throughout the United States, and in their natural outdoor environment, are considered highly beneficial. These arthropods feed on decaying vegetation, bacteria, insect feces, and pollen. Their feeding helps release vital nutrients back into the soil, assisting with the process of decomposition.
While springtails in your garden are a great find, discovering springtails in your Aiken, South Carolina, home can be a bit unsettling. Springtails are active year-round, as they carry a special protein that allows them to survive freezing winter temperatures.
Just because they can withstand uncomfortable habitats, doesn’t mean they won’t explore locations that will feel more accommodating. If you are seeing springtails in or around the exterior of your property, it’s time to seek the help of a pest control professional for your Aiken home.
Springtail Identification
An adult springtail averages between 1/32 to 1/8 of an inch in length. They are wingless, soft-bodied arthropods, with six legs, and a tail-like appendage underneath their abdomen. Springtails cannot fly, but their tail-like appendage, known as a furcula, releases from their abdomen and propels them into the air.
To the naked eye, they look brown, grey, or black. Due to their small size, springtails tend to resemble flecks of pepper or ashes on contrasting surfaces such as ice or snow. They aren’t known to pose any health risks or to cause structural damage, but that doesn’t make them any less of a pest when they invade.
Springtails in Aiken can withstand extreme environments. They prefer moist conditions in areas that provide damp soil, decaying organic matter, and fungi. Springtails are most active during the afternoon or early evening. They emerge on sunny winter days in large numbers, usually near the base of trees.
It is quite common to find springtails near dense vegetation, pool areas, or other sources of moisture such as drain lines and air conditioning condensation. When they begin to gather around the exterior of your home, it is only a matter of time before they find their way inside.
The Problem With Springtail Invasions
Springtails absorb water through their bodies. To survive, they require constant moisture, so they gravitate to humid conditions that will keep them from drying out.
When the ground becomes too dry or saturated, springtails emerge from below to seek more hospitable conditions. During their search, springtails often end up invading homes in very large numbers. This is the most common reason homeowners have difficulty eliminating them on their own.
Springtails can slip through exterior cracks and crevices, doorways, and windowsills. They will migrate to any high-moisture areas in your home, including basements, bathrooms, and kitchens. You will likely find them in the soil of potted plants within your home as well.
Instead of wasting time trying to resolve the issue on your own, find a local professional who can provide you with effective solutions for your springtail problems.
Springtail Prevention
Springtails are a moisture pest. If you are finding springtails in and around your property, there is most likely a water damage issue that needs to be addressed.
Most springtail prevention methods are applied around the exterior of your home, with a few interior exceptions:
- Reduce sources of excess moisture throughout your home with fans and dehumidifiers.
- Repair any leaky fixtures or pipes in the basement, bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room.
- Eliminate standing water sources around the perimeter of your home, including overturned items that may collect rainwater or moisture.
- Repair leaking spigots and broken gutters. Keep gutters clear of debris regularly to avoid water buildup.
- Remove organic yard debris and other waste materials from your property.
- Consider replacing mulch with crushed rocks around the perimeter of your home.
- Keep vegetation trimmed back from the exterior of your home and away from the foundation to permit airflow and eliminate moisture.
- Seal up gaps and cracks around the foundation and exterior walls of your home to limit potential entry points.
Once springtails find their way into your home, they will prove to be more of a nuisance than one might expect. Protect your Aiken home from unwanted springtails with the help of an experienced pest control technician.
Total Springtail Eradication
Aiken Pest has been serving South Carolina residents since 1967. With more than 50 years of experience in the pest control industry, we are committed to providing you with the best service available in the Aiken area.
As a QualityPro-approved company, Aiken Pest carries the Good Housekeeping pest control seal of approval with pride. Less than two percent of the pest control industry has been able to earn this prestigious title. We go above and beyond industry standards to protect the well-being of your family and your home.
Aiken Pest is 100% local. Our team is dedicated to the health and happiness of our community. We strive to provide effective and affordable pest control solutions that you can rely on.
Aiken Pest will keep your home pest-free, guaranteed! Contact us today to request a free, no-obligation quote.