'Fast' way to make springtail colony explode?

[antinous]

Are there any tricks for getting a springtail colony to explode in numbers? I originally bought one deli cup with a starter colony and have put some in two other ones to make sure I have a back up. Only problem is, I'm quite impatient haha. Is there any way to make their population explode? Would keeping them around 80 F make them breed faster?

Thanks

 

[WildSpider]

Are there any tricks for getting a springtail colony to explode in numbers? I originally bought one deli cup with a starter colony and have put some in two other ones to make sure I have a back up. Only problem is, I'm quite impatient haha. Is there any way to make their population explode? Would keeping them around 80 F make them breed faster?

Thanks

My experience with springtails is limited to the local ones where I live. Assuming that they are similar though, mine exploded in a pickle jar that had vegetation inside. The substrate (which is just dirt) is very moist in that jar too. These springtails exploded during the summer I believe it was and have still been doing well even during the fall despite the fact that they are in cooler temps. I have tried moving some of these springtails to other kinds of containers too (plastic ones) but so far, I still think the best results have been in the pickle jar.

 

[Bob Lee]

Add tannerite to the container and shot it with a rifle....

 

[pannaking22]

Fish flakes seemed to make mine go nuts.

 

[Greasylake]

Fish flakes seemed to make mine go nuts.

I was wondering what to do with my container of fish flakes, I'll try this in some starter cultures today.

 

[Hardus nameous]

I see swarms of them on leftover feeder bits on sopping substrate in the amblypygi enclosures.
The substrate is or is mostly Zilla Jungle Mix in those enclosures.

 

[Adam96]

mine love rotting feeders

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

First, start a red wiggler colony in a plastic shoebox. Then, after a couple weeks, leave some food in until it molds. Finally, expect population explosion of springtail in a week at most. In other words, they seem to like anything rotting. I have found my biggest population spikes when the really fuzzy, white, and probably toxic mold is on the food.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

Get a completely sealed container, fill it with rotting wood and compost, wet it, add springtails, add a few oranges or apples sliced in half and wait. Add garbage and dead feeders periodically

 

[Bob Lee]

First, start a red wiggler colony in a plastic shoebox. Then, after a couple weeks, leave some food in until it molds. Finally, expect population explosion of springtail in a week at most. In other words, they seem to like anything rotting. I have found my biggest population spikes when the really fuzzy, white, and probably toxic mold is on the food.

What if mites show up instead of springtails...

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

What if mites show up instead of springtails...

I have never seen mites in my enclosure. Plus, I didn't intend for someone to actually copy this exact setup, I just was pointing out how easy springtails are to culture. I will admit that I could have gotten lucky with springtails instead of mites.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

i have had great success with a 40% carbon 40% peat soil 20%peat moss mixture. I keep the culture fairly moist and i feed heavily. 1 tablespoon dry repashy morning wood per week. I have seen steady exploding growth with this method.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

You wanna make sure there is no mites in your starter. I learned i had bought a starter culture that was contaminated with mites and had to restart with the above posted method i said^. While the culture was infected with mites it was growing but slowly, once i eradicated the mites (started a new clean culture) i noticed far more rapid production.

 

[Ludmil]

I think it has to be very warm to really explode. Mine in the summer temperatures above 30 C with the same feeding/ moist bred far more than now with artificial heating keeping ~ 19-22 C
The food is bakers yeast, fish flakes every other day. In the summer for about a month they became hundred of thousands.

 

[AlphaTen223]

i have had great success with a 40% carbon 40% peat soil 20%peat moss mixture. I keep the culture fairly moist and i feed heavily. 1 tablespoon dry repashy morning wood per week. I have seen steady exploding growth with this method.

What’s the carbon for?