Buggies in the Cypress Mulch

[Scho9959]

So, I switched to cypress mulch a couple weeks ago, and now I notice around the center of the enclosure, under the fogger where it's the most moist, there are hundreds of these really tiny white bugs running around. From what I've read on here, they're either woodlice or springtails or something, and I'm hoping to find out which. I can hardly see them unless I'm looking pretty close, and they're not hopping or flying.. I wouldn't be so concerned, with what I've read on here, but they're crawling all over Calypso as well, and she doesn't seem to have been anywhere near as active the last few days. I'm planning on taking my kiddos on a scavenger hunt to find some roly-polies in the next few days, and I'm going to get the mulch cleaned out pretty well and stirred up.

I guess my questions are: if they're not hopping or flying, what are they? Should I be worried with them crawling all on her? And will the roly-polies be enough to keep them down to a more comfortable level for her?

Thanks in advance for helping me sort this out.

 

[wellington]

I can't help you on this one, but hang on, I am sure someone will come along soon. If you can't get rid of the bugs, try switching to just coconut coir if you can. That's what I had to do to get rid of the tiny flying bugs I had. Good luck

 

[Scho9959]

I used the coco coir for a while, mixed with soil, and it was such a mess to keep up with. It was heavy and the coir stuck to everything. She likes the mulch okay.. doesn't dig in it as much as she did the soil and coir though. =/
I do like the idea of having little bugs that help keep mold spores away and help clean up poo or food that I miss, I'm just worried about them being all over her.

 

[EKLC]

I had the same thing happen. I started putting my mulch in the oven. 230 degrees for about 20 minutes, and no bugs.

Perhaps boiling a large pot of water and pouring it over the mulch would work too, but I cant verify

 

[lynnedit]

If you do a search for 'bugs' or 'insects' in substrate, you will find a lot of good threads. Basically springtails and fungus gnats (those little fruit fly like flying bugs) bother us more than the tort.

Some say coir is better, others get bugs.
Some say cypress mulch is better, or only if you get it from certain sources (Tortoise Supply), or bake it first.

A bioactive substrate sounds good to me, I am going to look for isopods next fall for winter enclosures.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Bio-Active-Substrate-Recipes#axzz1lQz1V1od

 

[bettinge]

I had the same thing happen. I started putting my mulch in the oven. 230 degrees for about 20 minutes, and no bugs.

Perhaps boiling a large pot of water and pouring it over the mulch would work too, but I cant verify

I do the same thing. I put the Cypress in the oven at 150-300 degrees for several hours. Nothing lives! I put it in for several hours because its a large stock pot full of Cypress, and I want to be sure its heated thru.