Small Snow Fleas In House

Snow fleas will look like someone spilled pepper on the top of the snow but if you look closely you will see them moving.

Small snow fleas in house. Springtails thrive in moist locations rich in organic matter such as leaf litter and soil on the forest floor. Springtails have a tail like appendage that unfolds like a spring causing them to jump. Some times large numbers will gather on the snow surface hopping around hence the name snow fleas. Snow fleas are small about two to three millimeters in length and they are blue black in color.

For many being in the snow again is losing its luster. As the northeast of the united states was hammered by thundersnow this week students parents and perhaps those working from home had the opportunity to indulge in outdoor winter activities. They wont bite and they are actually great for your lawn and gardens because of the work that they do to help decompose organic material. Posted by katie kline on jan 28 2011 4 comments.

In some places there can be more than 50000 springtails per cubic foot of material. At first glance snow fleas may look like motes of black pepper sprinkled on the surface of the snow but upon closer inspection the pepper looks as if its moving. Snow fleas feed on decaying plant matter. In winter snow fleas emerge on sunny days and gather in large numbers around bases of trees where snow has melted.

While they look a lot like biting parasitic fleas snow fleas are not something to fear. Because of their small size they look like flecks of pepper or ashes on the surface of the snow. For this reason it can be very difficult to get rid of snow fleas in the house. While theyre tiny reaching only two to three millimeters in length and jump around as fleas do a closer look will reveal that snow fleas have a similar appearance to other springtails.

They are believed to be feeding on fungal spores and algae on the surface of the snow.