We have been battling springtails for a couple of years now following the recommendations you have provided on this site so thank you!
I just recently noticed 2 small mounds coming out of a few cracks in our wood deck. When I sprayed the mound with some windex (I was cleaning outside windows when I noticed them) a bunch of springtails scurried about. Could the source of my problem actually be INSIDE my deck! We bought the house not to long ago and the previous owner did not take care of the deck. There are cracks everywhere. We weather treated the deck with stain but figured we could put off replacing the deck for at least a few more years. Thoughts if they could be nesting in the deck and thoughts on how to treat?
Springtails are opportunistic in that they can capitalize on any moist, damp environment which can provide soft organic matter for both food and nesting. This environment must also be out of the sun. This mix can be found on the ground just under pine straw, wood chips and basically under any decent top soil like that one would find in a flower bed. From there they’ll migrate up and out as their population swells and in this process, either die or find more such locations in which to thrive.
Now over the years of working on springtails, I’ve seen them successfully move out of the ground and into potted plants, rain gutters, under house siding, around windows, into door frames and most definitely into wood decks. In fact springtails love anything made with wood. And when the wood planks of any deck gets cracked and split, it becomes an ideal location for springtails to nest.
So with that being said, I would not be surprised if in fact you have springtails nesting in your deck. The good news is this is an easy place to treat. Just get some of the FS MP aerosol and use the included injecting straw to treat every crack you can find. Keep in mind the springtails will many times live in the wood joints of the deck too. So any place where deck planks meet the underlying support joints are prime nest sites. So too is where the balcony railings connect to the main posts, etc. And if your deck is close to the ground, the area under the deck is almost certainly a nest site that needs to be treated heavy with the MAXXTHOR EC and MAXXTHOR GRANULES.
Next, apply 1-2 lb of Maxxthor Granules to every side of the home covering at least a 10 foot wide band. Obviously treating as much of the yard as possible would be best so the 10 foot band is the minimal amount of area to treat.
Lastly, spray all areas with Maxxthor EC and Boost. Plan on using 1/2 oz per 1,000 sq/ft of turf. Ideally you should treat as much of the land as possible but at least 10 feet out from the foundation to start. Also, spray the entire decking and sides of the home. Do this as often as they come back to start which might mean more than once a week. At least until you get the current activity under control.
More information on this pest can be found here:
Springtails: https://bugspray.com/article/springtail
Cheers,
Jonathan
Tech Support
www.bugspray.com
770-985-9388
1-800-877-7290
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Joe Shima says
I have this problem, but I have a dog that eats/chews/licks everything, especially wood (yes a labrador), is there any treatment for springtails that is not toxic that I could use?
Also, are the springtails themselves actually doing damage to the wood, or just a consequence of hidden/wet areas? If they aren’t doing damage I am not so concerned. Unfortunately, my deck is on the shady size of my house and I live in a climate with almost nightly fog, so the area will always be moist and there is no way to dry it out. Deck is pressure treated wood and redwood, all surfaces painted with opaque stain.
Tech Support says
Joe,
First and foremost, all of the products we sell are safe to use around people and pets. Once mixed and applied properly, there won’t be significant active chemical to pose a hazard to your pet – even if they ate the wood which is treated. In fact the wood you’re asking about is pressure treated, correct? Well in case you’re not aware of the process involved to make wood “pressure treated”, it often times involves using chemicals far more hazardous compared to anything we sell so if you are truly concerned about your pets safety, I would replace that wood with untreated lumber. When I had my deck built, I had the choice and I went with untreated cedar over the pressure treated option because I like to let my dog spend time on our deck and there is no way I’d let her walk over those planks and yet I have no problem with her walking on granules or liquid applications we make to the yard because I know its so diluted when dispersed. To better understand how safe our products are, we have more info posted here:
Pet Safe: https://bugspray.com/about-us#Are_our_products_pet_safe
As for springtails causing “damage”; springtails are natures great recyclers. Like termites, they serve a greater good by converting anything organic back to compost the earth can use. Wood is one such item they will degrade. Granted this degradation is not done as rapidly compared to a termite, carpenter ant or other large insects but at the end of the day, its still very much what one can call “damage”.
More important, allowing any insect to live and nest on ones deck is a huge mistake for one simple reason: in most cases that pest will end up in the home. In fact most all insect problems originate outside the home so my best advice is to start treating now to get ahead of it. I say that because if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll get them inside and once that happens, it will become a problem much more difficult to handle. How do I know? Just read 25-50 of the inquiries people of left on our main article about their “nightmare” (there are countless hundreds of posts from people there but it will only take reading a few for you to understand you’d best take action).
We field questions on this pest every day and for those who have a springtail issue, the problem is persistent and annoying whether they’re suffering damage to their home or not. At this point your issue is minor but rest assured, all that can change overnight and if you don’t take action soon, I’m willing to bet it will turn for the worse later this year.
Scroll down our article link to read up on some of the issues our customers have been battling; its never ending.. Oh, and get the products listed above to get control of this problem before it gets control of your home!
Springtails: https://bugspray.com/article/springtail
Jonathan
Tech Support
http://www.bugspray.com
770-985-9388
1-800-877-7290