Bugs on the turkeys?
 

Hi,
I was doing some scouting around here in central wisconsin. I went over in an area where i thought the roost was. I found it.. All around the roost there were these little black bugs. I knwo they were not fleas though. Their were thousands of them all around the area of the roost. i followed a heavy trail that they use and the bugs were lined about 1 1/2 feet out from the trail thousands of them. it was really weird.. just wondering what they were? also i found a few drops of blood along the trail.. wondering if thats from gobblers fighting? or minor wound from a coyote?

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

Well get me a sample...save in any vial or plastic bag and PM me and I'll tell you what they are aft ehtye are sent to me.

I work with insects and work for Johnson Wax.


Now I can guess......it they are very small....really tiny ...soft and squishy....they be springtails is my guess...

But I need the critter or the best photo you can take...

JW

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

They were probably snow fleas. They are more active now. You see them on the ground in enough numbers to blacken whatever they they are sitting on. I think they eat molds or fungus that exist in melting snow or damp cool ground.

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

You are certainly correct Wingbone.....the other name is Springtails.....they are a soft bodied insect and what he witnessed was a blossum....the reason they can be call snow fleas is because their habit of jumping. Actually it is an appendage on their tail they flick to laucnh themselves......so they can hop.

JW

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

JW.. I think your right because they were hopping around all over the snow, it sounds exactly the way you described them. Are they harmful to us at all ? or the turkeys. Or does this sound normal?

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

If you pay a visit to a sugarbush during March you may be able to see something curious. If you watch the top of the snow, you may be able to see what looks like specks of black pepper jumping on the snow. The black specks are really snow fleas, a tiny insect that is present all year round but likes the cold weather. The best place to look for the snow fleas is close to any bare spot at the base of a tree that is surrounded by snow.
The snow flea is only 2 mm in length. The snow flea is sometimes known as a springtail because of its ability to jump. Don’t worry, they don’t bite, they eat mold and fungus on the forest floor.


or


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SPRINGTAILS
by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist
University of Kentucky Department of Entomology


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Springtails are tiny wingless insects with distinctive heads and a hump-backed appearance. Their name comes from a forked structure attached to the underside of the abdomen which acts a spring to flip them into the air. This behavior gives them the appearance of tiny fleas. Other than being a nuisance, these unique little creatures pose no threat.

Most springtails live in rich soil or leaf litter, under bark or decaying wood, or associated with fungi. Many are scavengers, feeding on decaying plants, fungi, molds, or algae. Springtails become abundant among wet leaves, soil, and plant material along a house foundations or sidewalks where they can be a temporary annoyance. One white species lives on the surface of ponds and streams can be found in drinking water from cisterns or wells. They also can occur around floor drains, in damp basements, and crawl spaces. Masses of these insects can be swept up and discarded.

Plants grown in homes and greenhouses sometimes become infested as a result of heavy breeding in the moist soil. Allowing the soil to dry out will usually eliminate them. Some species, such as the garden springtail can be found on field crops and vegetables, but they rarely cause enough damage to warrant control measures.

Most common springtails do not survive in dry conditions. Any steps to improve ventilation and promote drying are the best long term solutions. Removal of accumulations of wet leaves or other organic matter will eliminate breeding sites. Aerosol household insecticides can be used to treat infestations but will provide only temporary relief if the favorable conditions are not corrected.

Inquiring minds gotta know...

JW

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

Must be a regional thing, first I've ever heard of them, and I took entomology in college. Interesting though.

RE: Bugs on the turkeys?
 

Well that snow flea might be but Springtails (Collembo) are everywhere it is wet enought to support them.

Millions of dose suckers in da soil....


JW