this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2023
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Composting

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And are they bad for my worm population? It has decreased a lot. The picture looks wet because I just watered it as it looked a bit dry before.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Collembola, (spring tails) belonging to the family isotomidae. Harmless, and good at breaking down organic matter

PS. I AM an expert

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I keep these species of springtails for my terrariums. If you disturb them, they may jump which is a way to identify them. They can jump something like 50x they're body length so it's pretty easy to notice.

They are beneficial and very useful of my terrariums. Springtails help control mold and fungus growth while the isopods (terrestrial shrimp) break down larger matter like feces, leaf litter and food.

I think I also read that they are good for plant roots as they help aerate the soil as they crawl around. I'm not an expert but read quite a bit about making bioactive terrariums where these are used frequently.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks. Could they be the reason for the decline of my red worms population?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Unlikely - they are pretty benign

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Look like springtails:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/springtails-3

In no expert, but I believe they are friendly. I've had lots of these too, and I think they difficult to avoid.

[–] yankeebobo 2 points 1 year ago

My vote? Termites. Looks similar to a friend’s house where near the barn they had decaying matter. They generally run and hide when exposed.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I’m no expert, but my first guess is they look like termites

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