A to Z of Pests

Springtail

Order Collembola

Appearance

• Adults 1 – 5mm long.
• They can be black, white, yellow, lavender, red, green or gold. Some are patterned, mottled, iridescent or even metallic.
• In addition to antennae and three pairs of legs, springtails jump with an unusual forked structure on the end of their abdomen, called the furcula.

Lifecycle

• Eggs are spherical and about 0.2 mm in diameter.
• They are laid singly or in clusters. After about 10 days, the eggs hatch into juveniles and in 6 days mature to adult.
• Adults live up to one year.

Habits

• They prefer dark, damp areas in natural habitats like leaf mould, damp soil or rotting logs.
• They feed on algae, decomposing vegetable matter, bacteria and fungi.