Escaped springtails

[Xandra lynn]

I added springtails to my enclosures a few days ago and last night I was looking my shelves and notice that they were everywhere! Since then I've been vacuuming and wiping everything over every few hours but they just keep coming back, I have no idea what to do aside from taking everything out of the enclosures and adding new substrate/plants etc. Ive had sprintails before but I've never had them escape like this any suggestions are more than welcome!

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Are u sure they’re springtails???
How humid is your room???

Springtails are good idk why you want them gone..... but they will die in a dry environment

 

[Xandra lynn]

I purchased them as sprintails, and I dont want them gone from my enclosures, but they are on everything. All over my shelf/outside of the enclosures and I would prefer if they just stayed inside :/

 

[chanda]

If it's really just springtails, don't worry about escapees. The average home is far too dry for them to survive. They need to live in nice, moist substrate. Unless you have serious moisture problems (like leaky plumbing, overwatered house plants, or an indoor swamp) any that are loose in the home will dry up and die. All you'll need to do is vacuum up their little desiccated corpses - if you can even find them.

On the other hand, if it's something else (like mites) they might be able to survive slightly drier conditions and might require additional measures to get rid of them.

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Maybe put some food for them to eat inside the enclosure to keep them.
Wet rice works well for me(they eat mold)

 

[Xandra lynn]

Ive been asking around to a bunch of people and the general consensus is that I have been sold grain mites....

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Do they jump??
These are spring tails and when they are adults they will be longer than a mite, mites are fat and round