Springtails?

[mundanemantis]

rather surprised.. checked on my GBB enclosure today to find what i can only assume to be springtails in the water bowl?? im quite confused though, as ive never introduced springtails to my tarantula or any of my invertebrates, so im confused as to how they got here? on the topic also,, would they be harmful to keep around? or would they be benificial to release into the enclosure

thanks for any help!

 

[Wolfram1]

Springtails or Collembola are a very diverse group of insects that are everywere. They are completely harmless to your spider and may have been introduced with the soil, cork, or any other matter you put into the enclosure. They are attrackted to moisture and if sufficient numbers are present there will always be a congregation in the waterbowl, however most are likely living underneath the cork and in the crevices of the soil. They also seem to appear randomly in other enclosures were they have not been introduced. Likely they just spread into our living space all the time, but only manage to colonize, flower-pots and other spaces that provide moist soil, like tarantula enclosures.

They also help reduce mold which is nice since both mold and springtails prefer moist conditions. They are commonly referred to as cleanup crew and classed as beneficial to tarantula keeping.

 

[TheOliveCat]

Yes I've had this happen before. Sometimes they hitchhike in your substrate, They won't harm your T's. In fact they will help break down waste! I have them in my enclosures with no issues.

For some reason they are attracted to the water bowls haha.

 

[Hisserdude]

Springtails are everywhere, probably hitchhiked in with substrate, hides, etc., completely harmless to your T and will be beneficial if anything, breaking down fungi, boluses, tarantula frass, etc..