Snow Flea Control: How to Get Rid of Snow Fleas

This page is a general snow flea control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you can get control of snow flea populations. Follow this DIY guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of snow fleas in and around your home.

With the arrival of spring comes warmer weather, melting snow, and small black specks jumping about in the snow. However, upon closer examination this microscopic pest is a cluster of snow fleas, one of the few insects that remain active year round. They have the ability to jump great distances, so they are often mistaken by homeowners for fleas.

More properly, these small arthropods are actually a type of springtail that has a antifreeze protein, giving them the ability to survive freezing temperatures. Snow fleas usually go unnoticed throughout the year, but their black-blue coloration makes them easy to spot against snow. Though this pest has the appearance of a leaping flea, they do no bite people or are considered parasites.

Snow fleas tend to congregate in large groups and feed on decaying organic matter in outdoors environments. However, when there is a lack of moisture, and decaying matter in their environment or too much moisture then the snow flea will travel indoors. Though snow fleas are harmless they can be considered a nuisance if found indoors due to their ability to damage paper or fabric products with their waste. However, by following the tips and products listed in this DIY guide they can be controlled.

Identification

Before proceeding with treatment, you will need to be certain the pest infestation you are dealing with is snow fleas. Careless identification can lead you to using the wrong or ineffective insecticides, which can be a waste of your time and finances. Due to its small size, you will need to use a microscope to view a snow flea characteristics. Below are some traits to know what snow fleas look like:

• While snow fleas have 6 legs, they do not actually use these to jump like fleas. Instead, they use a stiff tail-like appendage tucked underneath its body called a furcula. When the snow flea moves it releases the furcula, which hits the ground and flicks the pest about 18 centimeters in the air, much like how actual fleas jump.
• Snow fleas are dark blue to black colored pest measuring about 1/10 inches long.
• Besides their legs, snow fleas are different than fleas by having a pair of short 4-segmented antennae.
• Snow fleas are wingless insects with an oblong shaped body, elongated abdomen, and have two clusters of compound eyes with 8 ocelli in each eye.

Use the description and image above to help you identify snow fleas on your property. If unsure, then bring us a photo or sample of the pest in sealable plastic container to one of our store locations. By doing so, we can properly identify the pest and suggest the appropriate products and control plan for that pest. For further assistance, you may call or email us.

Inspection

Once snow fleas have been confirmed on your property, you can proceed with an inspection. During this phase, you are learning where snow fleas are found, and the conditions allowing the pest to thrive. By learning where snow fleas are in your yard and home can help you determine where to focus your pesticide applications.

Where to Inspect

Although we hardly notice them, snow fleas are active year all year in moist areas with decaying organic material such as leaf litter, forest floor, compost piles, wood piles, rotten logs, underneath and on top of snow, base of trees, in or on tree bark, around water bodies such as ponds or puddles in the yard, and other areas with algae and fungi. However, you are more likely to spot these pests in large numbers as the snow melts.

While snow fleas are mostly found outside, they can be seen in indoor areas that collects a lot of moisture such as the basement, attic, or in crawl spaces. 

What to Look For

Snow fleas stay active all year, but are mostly seen in late winter and early spring on the surface of melting snow, usually around a tree. At a first glance these pests may appear as bits of dirt or black specks in the snow. This can also look like when a pepper shaker spills onto a white cloth. 

With their small size, snow fleas are hard to visibly witness, but with their prolific jumping activities can cause homeowners to mistake them for fleas. This pest is not known to bite people or animals like fleas, so there should be no physical damages such as skin irritations or bites.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed snow fleas and areas of activity, you can begin with a treatment plan. You will need to wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) before handling and applying pesticide materials.

To get rid of snow fleas, you will need to focus on exterior and interior treatments with residual insecticides and limit moisture in and around your structure.

Step 1: Address Moisture Problems

First, identify the moist areas in and around your home. Excessive moisture problems promotes mold growth, which in turn attracts snow fleas. 

Indoors, look for any leaking pipes or faulty air conditioning to repair. If the basement or attic collects moisture and there seems to be no issues, consider installing a dehumidifier. You may also consider using a fan to circulate air within your home to help keep things more dry. 

Outdoors, you can rake and remove fallen leaves and other plant debris to remove any decaying matter, allow more sunlight to hit your lawn, and encourage evaporation. 

Step 2: Apply Residual Insecticide Indoors

After all moisture issues have been addressed in your home, you will apply a residual insecticide labeled for crack and crevice, and spot treatments indoors.

Doxem NXT is a unique residual aerosol insecticide that eliminates snow fleas on contact with 2 adulticides and prevents them from becoming adults with 2 IGRs. When it dries on labeled cracks, crevices, and voids it will continue to repel snow fleas for up to 180 days.

First, treat all indoor cracks, crevices, and voids to eliminate snow fleas traveling to and from your home. For crack and crevice treatments, insert the injector tip into cracks, crevices, or other small voids where you suspect snow flea activity. Spray at the rate of one foot per second with one foot of space in-between each application.

Around water pipes, door and windows, behind and under refrigerators, and sinks use Doxem NXT as a spot treatment. Hold Doxem NXT 12 to 15 inches away from the target surface while spraying at the rate of 2 seconds per 2 sq. ft. Spot treatments must not exceed 2 sq. ft. in size.

Do not allow adults, children or pets to enter the treated area until sprays have dried

Step 3: Perform Perimeter Application

When temperatures begin to warm-up during the winter season, there will be an abundant source of moisture located around and inside of your home. To stop breeding and traveling activities, apply a residual insecticide like Supreme IT around the exterior perimeter of your home.

Supreme IT is a powerful bifenthrin 7.9% insecticide concentrate designed for broad-spectrum control of over 70 different insects, including springtails. Its residual leaves no offensive odor and continues to prevent and repel snow fleas from entering your home for up to 90 days once dried.

To use Supreme IT, you will need to mix it with water before application in a handheld pump sprayer. Determine how much Supreme IT to use by measuring the square footage of your treatment area. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet then multiply (length X width = square footage). For a perimeter treatment of springtails, apply 0.33 to 1.0 fl. oz. of Supreme IT per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

Now that you know how much product to use you can begin mixing. Fill your sprayer tank with half the amount of water, pour in measured amount of Supreme IT, then add the remaining half of water to your sprayer. Secure the spray tank lid and shake until thoroughly mixed.

Once thoroughly mixed, spray 3 feet up the structure and 3 feet out on the ground next to your home. You will also need to treat around the window and door frames, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and other entry points.

Do not apply this product to frozen soil. 

Prevention

Once snow fleas have been removed from your home and yard, you will want to make sure they do not return. Here are some preventative measures you can take to ensure snow fleas do not return to your property:

• Snow fleas tend to emerge from their hiding places when the weather begins to warm. Keep in mind that leaf litter and other fallen plant debris can generate heat during the winter months, allowing this pest to be active throughout the year. Remove potential habitat sites by raking fallen leaves, wood debris, and other plant materials. Clean rain gutters out of decaying, wet plant materials.
• Repair water leaks and moisture issues in and around your home. Exterior water repairs are mostly seen with fixing water leaks from pipes and plumbing, and improving water runoff and drainage by redirecting rain gutters away from your homes foundation. This also includes removing mulch and relocating ornamental landscapes away from the structures foundation. Likewise, interior treatments usually mean repairing or replacing pipes, plumbing, and drying out damp areas.
• Keep up with regular cleaning and vacuuming of floors, corners of rooms, underneath appliances, and around baseboards.
• Spray Supreme IT on a quarterly basis to prevent snow fleas from returning to your home and yard. Once the ground is no longer frozen, covered with snow, or saturated with water then you can make a broadcast application across your lawn. Use 1.0 fl. oz. of Supreme IT per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. of turfgrass. Spray the top and bottom of grass blades until wet, but not to the point of runoff. Keep children and pets off treated areas until it is thoroughly dried or 24 hours have passed.

Key Takeaways

What are Snow Fleas?

• Snow fleas are not actually fleas, but a type of springtail most seen during the winter months as black dots in snow. Though they are not harmful, they can be irritating with their jumping and traveling activities during the winter season.

How to Get Rid of Snow Fleas

• The first thing you will need to do is remove and repair the source of moisture from both inside and outside of your home. To get rid of snow fleas inside of your home then spray Doxem NXT indoors and Supreme IT on the outside of your home as a perimeter treatment.

Preventing Snow Fleas Reinfestation

• Prevent snow fleas from returning to your property with regular lawn and home maintenance such as raking, repair piping and plumbing's, and cleaning out rain gutters. As well as regular vacuuming and other cleaning practices inside of your home. Spray Supreme IT every 90 days as a perimeter and lawn treatment to keep snow fleas away.