What Are Snow Fleas? And How To Prepare For Them In Montana

What In The World Are Snow Fleas?

One benefit of living in Montana, is during the winter, we get a few months of relief from creepy crawly insects and spiders.

Well I used to think that until I learned about snow fleas and how they are in Montana.

Are Snow Fleas Even Fleas?

If you don't know what a snow flea is, first off it's not really even a flea.

According to the Missoula Butterfly House,

Snow fleas are not actually fleas; they’re not even insects! They belong to a group of arthropods called springtails

So why are they called Snow Fleas?

Because of their jumping ability,

Unlike fleas, however, springtails do not use their legs to catapult themselves; they use a specialized appendage known as a furcula. The furcula is folded under the body and held under tension. When it is released, the force of the furcula snapping against the ground propels the snow flea into the air.

What Do To About Snow Fleas

You've probably seen snow fleas and didn't even realize what you were looking at unless you knew to look for them.

Have you ever you ever seen some snow or ice while out and about and noticed what looked like black pepper specks all over the snow? You just saw snow fleas.

Thankfully snow fleas don't bite humans and really aren't much of a nuisance, but if you want to make sure they aren't getting inside your house there are a couple steps you can take.

• Rake up all those loose leaves in the fall, as snow fleas love the moist living conditions that those leaves create.
• To keep them out of your house get a dehumidifier that will make sure your house is as moisture free as possible this winter.