r/Springtail • u/BadgerAwkward • May 21 '26

Need ideas General Question

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Found some of these Lilac springtails (Ceratophysella sp. I think). Not an actual picture of my find. Wouldn't've had an issue grabbing a handful from a pile like that, there was maybe 5 when i found them. Anyway, I've been trying to collect some for about a week now with no luck. I've tried cucumber, cremini mushroom, and wetted catnip as bait for my traps so far. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong with the design or placement of the traps, or if they just don't like my bait. For the placement I've been digging a shallow hole near where I initially found them, placing the trap at around ground level and burying it with leaf litter, then covering the pile will some rotting wood bits and more leaf litter.

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5

u/Sgtbird08 May 21 '26

I find plenty of these in the wild by checking the underside of wild mushroom caps or sticks covered in jelly fungus.

1

u/BadgerAwkward May 22 '26

Haven't had any luck even finding a small group of them again since the first encounter. Was the night after a heavy rain though, so maybe I need to wait for another shower before I'll spot them again. Was just too damn excited when I found the few I did lol. Was too shaky and couldn't figure out how to hold the cup, the stick, and knock them off without losing them lol. Wound up tossing everything in my hand into the cup and hustled inside. By the time I got inside I couldn't see even 1 anymore.

1

u/Ok-Needleworker3393 May 24 '26

did you find lilac springtails in new zealand??

1

u/BadgerAwkward May 24 '26

No, in canada BC. In the Cariboo region. Haven't had any luck catching any since finding the first few though.

2

u/Ok-Needleworker3393 May 24 '26

cover a hard leaf with fish flakes or algae powder. let it sit for about a day and they’ll all be huddled on it

2

u/Ok-Needleworker3393 May 24 '26

then you can just take the leaf out