The better ways for to give food to the springtails cultures? and the better foods for them?

[TiercelR]

Hello all.
Which are the better ways for to give food to the springtails cultures? I must do use a very small tray for to do it?
... and too, which are the better foods for the springtails in captivity?

Just i have received --a few hours ago-- in the mail my very first two cultures of springtails.
Each culture is living inside of 16 ounces cups.

So i need to feed them as soon as possible.
Now i have yeast and oat for to give for them, but i want to know what another foods are accepted by them.
Many thanks in advance for your advice. Regards.

 

[moricollins]

I only use yeast for my springtail cultures. Active baking yeast is what I use.

 

[Arthroverts]

Oatmeal is what I have used with great success. Just put it in on a non-submerged surface and there you go.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Smotzer]

must do use a very small tray for to do it?

No you don’t need to use any tray, just sprinkle the food, for me it’s yeast, onto the surface of the charcoal or clay and call it a day!

 

[Scp682]

They mostly eat fungi so any active yeast is a good bet. If you can get live yeast (looks like a chunk of brie cheese) from a local bakery or something that's even better. Most other organic matter can suffice as long as it will decay and grow mold and such which they can then eat.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Mushrooms.

 

[TiercelR]

Hello all.
Many thanks to: moricollins, Arthroverts, Smotzer, Scp682, and Frogdaddy, for their replies which are an excellent guide for me.

Based on your commentaries, i find a way for to do it that still in experimentation:

- I used as a tray one fresh green leaf of guava of one 1 inches lengh for each of the two cultures.
- Each leaf was placed onto the surface of each culture, and beside the wall of each container.
- Onto each leaf i placed a pinch of wetted live yeast.
- And then i sprayed a little of water onto the surface of the culture.

One culture is supposed to be a mix of the two 2 next species: Bilobella braunerae & Anurida granaria.
And the another culture is supposed to be of this species alone: Anurida granaria.

Unfortunatelly, both cultures are contaminated with another species of a micro-legged-invertebrate that i can not ID it right now. How can i get to rid of this plague inside of my cultures?

Thanks ! Regards.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Hello all.
Many thanks to: moricollins, Arthroverts, Smotzer, Scp682, and Frogdaddy, for their replies which are an excellent guide for me.

Based on your commentaries, i find a way for to do it that still in experimentation:

- I used as a tray one fresh green leaf of guava of one 1 inches lengh for each of the two cultures.
- Each leaf was placed onto the surface of each culture, and beside the wall of each container.
- Onto each leaf i placed a pinch of wetted live yeast.
- And then i sprayed a little of water onto the surface of the culture.

One culture is supposed to be a mix of the two 2 next species: Bilobella braunerae & Anurida granaria.
And the another culture is supposed to be of this species alone: Anurida granaria.

Unfortunatelly, both cultures are contaminated with another species of a micro-legged-invertebrate that i can not ID it right now. How can i get to rid of this plague inside of my cultures?

Thanks ! Regards.

I'm guessing you have mites in your spring cultures. You might be feeding too much at one time. Eliminate the excess food and you may control them. I always kept spring cultures on Mite paper. Alternatively you can get some more spray may for birds. Spray the mite spray on paper towels and keep your cultures on the paper towels. Mites are hard to get rid of.

 

[TiercelR]

I'm guessing you have mites in your spring cultures. You might be feeding too much at one time. Eliminate the excess food and you may control them. I always kept spring cultures on Mite paper. Alternatively you can get some more spray may for birds. Spray the mite spray on paper towels and keep your cultures on the paper towels. Mites are hard to get rid of.

Hi Frogdaddy, thanks for your reply.
Yes it is, i have confirmed that both cultures are highly infested with mites. Thanks for your advice, i will follow it !
The cultures are based on coco fiber as substrate. Now i am considering to transplant the cultures to new cups with substrate based on another material for to dimish the quantity of mites inside ( if is possible to do it so ). Thanks.