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1) Breeding Springtails
2) Springtails in incubation boxes

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·   springtails (Collembola) are very useful to reduce mould growth in the incubation boxes
    for phasmid eggs. It is convenient that these insects feed also on mould. Therefore I
    add them to all the incubation boxes - with good success

·   springtails can be found all over the planet - even in arctic and suburban regions. They
    are common in leaf litter on the forest floor, often one will find them also in flowerpots,
    or you can get them from breeders of poison dart frogs and good petshops

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Breeding Springtails

·   actually it is very easy to breed springtails. You need a plastic box, cut a bigger hole in it's
    lid, fill 2/3 of the box with humid (!) Spagnum moss or bark for terrariums. Then add the
    springtails to the breeding substrate

·   wheat flour serves as food - just strew a bit over the breeding substrate. Only use a bit
    of flour, otherwise mould will badly grow

·   cover the hole in the lid with a fine cloth (like stockings). Otherwise there will soon be a
    lot of dark-winged fungus gnats (Sciaridae) in the box

·   keep the breeding substrate always humid, but not too wet. It should never try out
    completely. Springtails die very quickly if it is dry - they are dead within minutes

·   start a new culture of springtails 1-2 times a year, because old cultures can break down
    almost overnight. This is due to the accumulation of toxic waste products in the breeding
    substrate. For a new culture, just prepare another box with fresh breeding substrate and
    then add a good number of springtails from the old culture. Within 4-6 weeks they will
    multiply well

·   spring tails can easily be seperated with a fine sieve

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Springtails in incubation boxes for phasmid eggs

·   add springtails and some phasmid dung to the incubation box. The dung serves as
    additional food for the spring tails. Like this they will multiply and keep the mould short

·   springtails can not harm intact phasmid eggs and hatching nymphs

·   if there are springtails in incubation boxes, then the substrate must be kept humid
    constantly - otherwise they will die immediately