What are springtails?

Springtails (Collembola) are tiny, wingless soil arthropods with six legs and a forked tail-like organ, the furcula, folded under the body. When disturbed it snaps down and flips them several inches through the air.

No. Springtails have no ability to bite or sting people or pets, don't carry disease, and don't damage wood, fabric or food. Occasional reports of itchy skin are usually caused by something else.

What do springtails eat?

Mold, mildew, fungi, algae, bacteria, pollen and decaying plant matter. That's why they show up where something is damp: shower grout, overwatered houseplants, wet mulch, leaky pipes.

Why do I have springtails in my bathroom?

Bathrooms are humid and grow mildew in grout, caulk, under mats and in drains. Springtails feed on it. Run the exhaust fan, fix leaks and recaulk, and they usually disappear within a few weeks.

What is the actual size of springtails?

Most household springtails are about 1/16 inch long, roughly the size of a grain of fine sand to a poppy seed; the largest are about 1/8 inch.

Springtails: What They Are and How to Get Rid of Them

Q: Are springtails harmful?

Not to people, pets or the house. In large numbers they can nibble tender seedlings in greenhouses, and their presence indoors points to a moisture problem that can damage the building over time.

Springtails are tiny (about 1/16 inch), wingless creatures that live in damp soil and feed on mold and decaying plant matter. They're completely harmless, they don't bite, and when they show up indoors in large numbers, it means something in the house is too wet.

How to identify springtails

Tiny: 1/32 to 1/8 inch; most look like moving specks of dust or pepper.
Color: white or cream in potting soil, gray or black outdoors and on foundations, sometimes bluish or mottled. "Black springtails" are common on patios and in pool water.
Shape: elongated or round (globular species), six legs, short antennae, no wings.
The jump: a forked appendage folded under the abdomen snaps down and flings them several inches. Nothing else that tiny "pops" off a surface like that, except fleas.

Springtails vs. fleas: fleas are flattened side to side, reddish-brown, and found on pets and in carpet; springtails are found near moisture and don't bite. Baby springtails look like the adults, just smaller and paler. If you're not sure, see flea look-alikes.

What springtails eat and where they live

Springtails eat mold, mildew, fungi, algae, bacteria and rotting plant material. Outdoors they're among the most abundant animals in soil, with thousands per square foot in healthy mulch, and they help recycle organic matter.

Indoors they gather where there's moisture and mold:

Bathrooms: around tubs, shower grout, under the sink, near the toilet base, floor drains.
Kitchens: under the sink, behind the dishwasher, around leaking supply lines.
Houseplants: overwatered pots, especially with peat-based soil.
Basements and crawl spaces, window sills with condensation.
New construction: damp lumber and drywall still drying out often bring a springtail wave in the first year.

They often move indoors in large numbers in summer after heavy rain or during drought, when mulch beds dry out and they migrate toward the damp foundation.

Are springtails harmful?

No. They don't bite or sting people or pets, don't eat wood, fabric or food, and don't transmit disease. They can't survive long in dry air; most die within days indoors unless they find moisture. The harm is indirect: a big indoor population signals leaks, condensation or mold that can rot wood and damage drywall.

How to get rid of springtails in the house

Find the moisture. Check under sinks, around toilets and tubs, at the dishwasher, under the fridge drip pan, and window sills. Look for soft caulk, stained subfloor and musty smells.
Fix it. Repair leaks, replace failed caulk and grout, ventilate bathrooms (run the fan 20 to 30 minutes after a shower), and run a dehumidifier in basements to keep humidity under 50%.
Vacuum them up. A vacuum is the fastest way to remove a visible group. They don't infest the vacuum.
Dry it out. Without moisture, springtails indoors die off in days to a couple of weeks.
Seal entries around windows, doors, pipes and the sill plate if they're coming in from outside.

Indoor insecticide sprays aren't needed and don't solve anything while the moisture remains.

Springtails in houseplants

Hand pouring water out of a houseplant saucer into a sink

Let the soil dry between waterings; the top inch should be dry.
Empty saucers after watering.
Repot with fresh, well-draining mix if the soil stays soggy or smells sour.
Flood test: submerge the pot in a basin for 15 minutes and springtails float to the surface, confirming the cause.

Houseplant pot submerged in a basin of water with white springtails floating on the surface

In bioactive terrariums, springtails are deliberately added as a "cleanup crew," eating mold. In houseplants they're harmless to the plant, but they often share wet soil with fungus gnats, whose larvae can damage roots.

Springtails outside the house

If thousands are massing on the foundation, patio or pool cover:

pull mulch back 6 to 12 inches from the foundation, or switch to gravel along the house;
reduce irrigation near the house;
clean gutters and extend downspouts;
rake up leaf piles, grass clippings and damp debris;
improve drainage so soil slopes away.

A pyrethroid perimeter spray (bifenthrin) along the foundation can reduce a severe outdoor invasion, but it wears off quickly in wet mulch and does little if moisture isn't addressed.

When to call a pro

Call a pest control company or a home inspector if springtails keep appearing in the same wall, floor or ceiling area despite cleanup, if you suspect a hidden leak or mold, or if a crawl space is wet. Persistent springtails are often the first sign of a plumbing leak.

Springtails