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Although winter is considered the one time of the year when insects are not around, the truth is that most are still present. Take a walk on a sunny winter day and look closely along the edges of a field, bush or tree. Almost everywhere you look will be evidence of the newly constructed shelters these tiny creatures have made to protect them from the cold. Cocoons hanging from a tree branch or wrapped tightly in a leaf hold such fascinating creatures as future butterflies, moths, worms or wasp. Minute holes in a wooded branch are the protected home of eggs that will hatch into various different species of insects. Pull a tiny piece of bark from a tree and look for the winter tunnels of wood beetles or check out dried grasses woven together with strands of silk where some moth species choose to hibernate. While you are observing all these winter miracles watch the top of a snow covered area for what appears to be a sprinkling of ground pepper. If the “pepper” begins to move you are probably observing snow fleas.
Snow fleas are commonly called springtails and even though they love the snow, are often present during the colder months of moderate temperature areas. These minute insects from the Hypogastruridae family and Collembola order are known as the Hypogastrura nivicola species. No larger than 1/8 inch long, these stout bodied, wingless insects jump so quickly when they are disturbed that it appears they have simply disappeared. Unlike other fleas, the diet of the snow fleas consist mainly of the mold and fungus found on decaying leaf matter. The best way to observe these amazing little creatures is to place you hand on top of the snow in an area that is peppered with snow fleas. Before long you will notice that the tiny black specks are disappearing from the snowy surface and reappearing on your hand. The minute you move your hand they will almost instantly disappear. One of the best places to find the snow flea is close to any bare spot at the base of a tree that is surrounded by snow.
Snow fleas are actually anthropods with a history dating back to around 400 million years ago. Their mighty hop is accomplished by two tiny tails that are folded right below their stomach area and held in place by kind of hook. When the snow flea hops, the tails are released projecting them skyward. They are usually found in large groups and have even been discovered swimming on ponds, on sheets of ice and even on icicles. Even though the snow flea prefers colder weather they are present throughout the year. They are attracted to wet surroundings where they make their home in the soil. During the warmer months they are harder to detect since they live under ground coming out only when they eat. During the late winter or in some areas early spring months snow fleas mate and the female deposits her eggs in the soil. In either case the eggs hatch during the spring months and the tiny nymphs will feed through the summer. By winter the nymphs have matured into adults.
In many cases when the snow flea is found on the surface of snow they are preparing to migrate. When this occurs as many as a million of the insects will move across the ground in a relatively rounded mass that extends below the winter littering of leaves. The migration of the snow flea can take several days since the tiny creatures’ rest at night. Even when the migration is over they have only moved a short distance. It is believed that these migrations take place when the food supply in one area is exhausted. Although the average snow flea is a dark, dull gray color some species of this insect are blue, red, orange, gold, brown or green.
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