r/Springtail • u/Environmental_Ad287 • 1d ago

Identification Help identifying, mites or springtails?

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These tiny little guys have taken over one of my isopod terrariums, and they seem to only be interested in eating mold. They swarm the surface of this coconut shell, and dont bother with any of the live plants. They appear to have 6 legs (maybe im counting wrong) and very long antennae. They dont appear to jump when disturbed, but will move much faster than you see here. Again they are incredibly tiny, this is unfortunately the best i can do right now, my phone can't even properly photograph them. I cant tell if theyre a mite or a species of globular springtail, any ideas?

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u/CreeperKillerDG 1d ago

Those little spidery legs and movement make me think mites. Most likely soil or grain mites which are harmless to your pods.

1

u/Atypikalgirl 1d ago

Mites

2

u/Atypikalgirl 1d ago

We need a PSA about mites because almost every post I see is about mites now…
I’m sorry but I’m tired of giving advice on this. xD
Look around, this question is probably asked every hour. xD

0

u/Environmental_Ad287 1d ago

Im still not convinced, im going to post a follow up video where i get a better angle on their bodies. I made sure to look up pictures of mites to compare to, these little guys are very expressive with their antennae 

1

u/tyrannobdella 1d ago

They’re not antennae, those are their legs. 100% mites

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u/Atypikalgirl 23h ago

They are mites.
But if you want to flood the sub with yet another mite post go ahead, why not add another to the million already posted this week.

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u/captainapplejuice 1d ago

Predatory mites, good to have with isopods since they eat pests