Three Reasons Springtails Keep Coming Back Into Your Home

Springtails are harmless but annoying pests that show up often during spring and summer months. They reproduce quickly and are difficult to get rid of as a result. Though they don't eat human food or have interest in our belongings, there are several reasons an infestation might continue no matter how many times you try to get rid of them.

Moisture or Dampness

Springtails thrive in damp environments, and there are plenty of places in or around your home where they can find them even if the weather is currently dry. Newer homes, for example, occasionally have issues with damp wood that was affected by rain before the house was finished. While this problem eventually fixes itself, it can take up to a few years, and this means several years of infestation in the meantime. They may also find damp soil if you have plants nearby that are regularly watered, or even from the moisture that constantly drains from your air conditioner.

Your options to prevent moisture outdoors are limited, but there's plenty you can do inside. If you feel like you have a constant indoor moisture problem that your air conditioner isn't handling well enough, you can run a dehumidifier to help. Check for leaks in your plumbing and in your attic, and make sure your air conditioner's condensate drain isn't backed up and causing water to flood your home.

Mold Growth

One of the reasons springtails like damp environments is because they often provide the pests with food. Springtails eat various types of fungi, which grows best in places where it's moist. An important thing to remember about mold is that simply depriving it of moisture isn't always enough to get rid of it, so if you have a mold problem, you'll need to take separate action to remove that as well.

However, it's not just indoor mold that can attract springtails. If springtails have a plentiful food source near your home, they may inevitably make their way indoors simply because it's nearby and because they reproduce so quickly. In cases like these, pest control specialists can help you treat your nearby soil, plants, or gardens safely to get rid of the pests without harming your plants or posing any threat to pets.

Nearby Outdoor Populations

Springtails are primarily outdoor pests and will find their way inside your home just because it's close to where they're reproducing, rendering your best efforts at killing them inside fruitless. Getting rid of springtails outdoors might seem like a daunting task, but with the right materials and application, you can create a protective border around your home to prevent any springtails from coming inside.

A common treatment from pest control specialists is some type of granulated insecticide which is spread around your home wherever there's dirt or plants. This won't harm your plants, but kills the pests living in the area. The key is to have the entire surrounding area treated at once; if springtails find that one area is no longer accessible, they'll simply move elsewhere, which is why it's important to create a border around your entire home.

A specialist can also use a spray on the outside border of your house, which acts as a deterrent to any pest trying to crawl up the upside walls or into any cracks or gaps in your foundation. This can be used instead of, or in conjunction with, a granulated treatment.

Contact a pest control service like Alliance Pest Management, Inc. to learn more. 

About Me

Controlling Pets Indoors

Although it might seem easy to keep bugs from infiltrating your home, it is easier said than done. I have always been a stickler for cleanliness, but months ago I realized that there were some serious issues with our house. We started realizing that the paint was bubbling in some places and the floors were exceptionally squeaky, so we started doing a little digging to discover the source of the issue. We realized that we had termites, so we turned to a team for help. They came through, explained the tenting process, and got started. Find out more about pest control on this website.

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