is there such a thing as a springtail free house?

I’m currently moving from ny to va and would like to know the best home design to get. I’ve been a long time customer and the only ongoing pest issue we had was with springtails. We had vinyl siding which was the worse so won’t get a home with that on it but what else should we avoid? I plan on treating monthly too so they don’t come back. I found this to be the best way to prevent them overall.

There are certain parts of most any home that will be targeted by pests but in general, they can be easily managed. That said, here are the main designs that lend themselves to ongoing, “tough to treat” springtail (or other chronic pest) issues.

Oh, and the last two “honorable mentions”? Homes you should avoid!

HOUSES BUILT ON OVER A SLAB. Try to avoid a slab home. Slabs have points of entry around drain pipes and electric lines and these can be very difficult to treat. Cement is effectively rock to a springtail or clover mite and if they start living underneath your slab, they’ll be coming up into living spaces and those path ways – as well as the bottom side of the cement – can be challenging to treat. Patio slabs and drive ways can be more manageable because they have gaps you can directly treat. But cement – or any rock for that matter – tends to be problematic. Oh, and if you find a home with a backyard that has a pool with cement or paver decking? Avoid them too. Again, near to impossible to get the treatments underneath where they need to reach the thriving population below.

And yes, pavers are nearly as bad. Pavers look pretty and if they have sand grout that allows water to drain down, you have some chance of managing pest issues. But remember, insects love living under them and since you can’t easily reach the side that’s sitting on dirt (or worse – a concrete base), most pavers will become home to a wide range of insects that will be difficult to directly treat.

how to treat my cement patio and driveway for bugs

HOW TO TREAT CEMENT SLABS | BUGSPRAY

---

 

VINYL SIDING. This, along with aluminum, is the worse. By design it will allow water to move behind it and though a properly ventilated home with vinyl can be managed, there are simply too many places for springtails to prosper out of sight which means eradicating them is near to impossible. True, it will have edges, flaps and some places where you can treat but in general, you should plan on drilling small holes so you can Power Inject to insure nothing is living behind it.

HOW TO TREAT HOME SIDING FOR SPRINGTAILS AND OTHER PESTS | BUGSPRAY

---

 

FINISHED BASEMENTS. Poured concrete walls of a basement are insect magnets. Unfinished basements are by far the best design to get because they allow you to have direct access to the sill plate, floor joists and sub-flooring overhead. And the concrete walls will be easy to treat once or twice a year to prevent pests from living on them. But once the walls and ceilings are covered, things will be 180 degrees opposite (as in super difficult) and this is why pests will move in.

SPRINGTAIL NESTS IN MY FINISHED BASEMENT?

---

 

SKYLIGHTS. There are three main ways pests like springtails get inside most homes. The main points of entry are WINDOWS, DOORS and ATTICS. Windows and doors are easy to treat. Attics are a bit more tricky but the hardest of all of these are skylights (a window in the ceiling!) . You see, springtails love living under roof tiles. And around most any skylight, they’ll thrive around the window flashing. From there, they’ll work their way into the layers eventually emerging and falling down underneath to the living space below. This will lead to ongoing issues in both bath and bed rooms.

---

 

DECKS BUILT TOO LOW TO THE GROUND/CEMENT. Springtails love to live under rocks and “in” wood. Much like termites, they will “farm” the mold, algae and decay fungi generated by organic matter that is naturally decomposing. Wood decks are springtail havens. And even man made decking like Trex will grow algae or mold in the gaps where decking lays over joists. But the worse is when they’re constructed over a cement slab and there is only a foot or two of space. These designs cannot be accessed underneath and so the bottom of the deck will become an insect haven and under the cement slab below the deck? Springtail factories.

---

HOME SIDING BURIED IN THE GROUND OR CEMENT.  These are super bad (see the pic above). Essentially the siding becomes a “moisture wick” pulling up water that will collect under cement, tiles or just dirt.

What makes this design so challenging is that you cannot see insects migrating up and going under the your siding since that space is not present Generally speaking, if you find this on a home, it was done before current construction codes were adopted OR the previous owner made the modification not realizing this would be a bad decision.

Simply put, there needs to be a space between home siding and the ground/cement below. It’s vitally important for many reasons so never ever ever cover it with dirt or home siding which will conceal what’s happening and often times leading to never ending pest issues. And if you have this condition around your home right now? Either drop the dirt level OR cut “up” the siding so it’s at least 6″ above the ground level.

One thing you can try is to trench the dirt in front of it hoping to get down far enough to get chemical where it can help. But ultimately, drilling through the stucco and POWER INJECTING will usually be needed. Of course treating under the CEMENT SLAB will also help but its very hard to get every inch of passable surfaces covered so there is usually a good chance something will find it’s way up safely.

HOW TO TREAT CEMENT SLABS | BUGSPRAY

---

 

INACCESSIBLE CRAWL SPACES. These are never good. If you are considering a home with a space that cannot be inspected? Don’t buy it unless you (or a home inspector) can get eyes on the inside. And if you have one of these at your current home right now? Make an access point.

To be clear, a crawl space that’s easy to access (something in the 4 foot or taller range) is fine assuming the home is not somewhere with excessive leaks or moisture. But if you can’t get into that space OR if you aren’t comfortable getting in there, pay someone to get in there to inspect before you buy. And have them make a video of what’s in there. This is the only “safe” way to know you aren’t buying a problem.

---

 

WEED BARRIERS INSTALLED UNDER FLOWER/MULCH BEDS OR ASTRO-TURF ALONGSIDE THE FOUNDATION. This is another no no. Both coverings may allow water to percolate through. But their bottom side will contribute to mold/mildew and algae growth that both clover mites and springtails love. And though our recommended treatments “might” get through some of it, you’ll never be able to deliver the full strength needed to control the pests living down deep in the soil below.

 

In summary, springtails are a very weak, vulnerable insect yet they consistently prove to be the most frustrating pest to control once they move onto and then into a home. And so if you want a home that will be easy to maintain pest wise, avoid the designs listed above.

Now if you have a home with any of the designs above and are hoping to control a current springtail issue? We can help. Cement slabs like a patio or driveway are “manageable”. But if the home is built on a slab? That’s red flag one.

And then if you have vinyl siding and a finished basement? That’s red flag two and three.

Remember, surface spraying will not get rid of them when they’re behind home siding or basement walls. And the same is true if they’re under cement, pavers, insulation (in your attic) or your homes slab. Designs like these are likely to have ongoing issues as explained in our CHRONIC PEST CONTROL article but there are ways to minimize the amount you see. And if you get super aggressive and go after them where they are thriving? You can purge most if not all from the structure.