My home has Springtails. What now?

Have you noticed extremely little tiny bugs around sinks, toilets, bathtubs, or out in the garage? There is a good chance you’ve got springtails. Spokane Pest Pro can help you identify these arthropods and help determine why they have presented in the areas you are seeing them. We can also give you professional advice on ways to eliminate them.

If springtails are flourishing in your home, it is always a sign of high humidity and/or other moisture related problems. Solve the moisture problem and the springtails will quickly disappear. Some common examples of conditions that are conducive for thriving springtails are as follows:

Blocked/broken bathroom ventilation fans – Make sure the louvers are opening properly outside when the fan is turned on! Sometimes painters will paint them shut, or they become warped from the sun and no longer work properly. If they are not opening, the bathroom is not being properly ventilated.

Bathroom fans aren’t being used – Often, kids will shower and forget to turn on the fan. Kids are also prone to leaving wet towels on the floor, and not having the shower door closed fully which leads to water collecting on the floor. Constant moisture quickly leads to springtails.

Plumbing leaks – Check under sinks, around toilets, your water heater, or anywhere else exposed plumbing pipes and fixtures can be inspected. Constant leaks can lead to springtails and MANY other potential problems that can cause damage to your home. Fixing leaks promptly can prevent expensive repairs in the future.

Sprinkler coverage – Another common problem that can easily go unnoticed is when sprinklers are constantly hitting the house. This becomes an even bigger issue when the sprinkler is at ground level, close to the house, and actually spraying up under the siding. This can sometimes cause water shooting up under the siding to eventually get the insulation wet within the wall void. Once wet, this wall void may never properly dry out. Not only can this lead to springtails near this area, but that moisture can cause mold and mildew problems, wood rot, and eventually wood destroying insects such as carpenter ants. Check your sprinklers often and make sure they are directing water to your lawn and plants, NOT your home.

Lots of house plants – The soil for most house plants needs to remain moist. If you have a lot of moist soil in your home, it can raise humidity levels to the point where springtails become more prevalent.

We often recommend to customers that they purchase an inexpensive “hygrometer” to monitor indoor humidity levels. This can often help pinpoint the areas in your home that might be causing problems. These meters can be purchased on Amazon for $8 - $12. If humidity is staying too high and there aren’t other remedies that can be made, a small dehumidifier might be the answer. These start at around $30 and go up from there depending on the size of space you need to control. A basement dehumidifier needs to be much more robust than a dehumidifier just for a kid’s bathroom. Determine the area size before choosing the dehumidifier to buy.

If you are still having trouble, give Spokane Pest Pro a call. We can help!