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SNOWFLEAS Springtails belong to the insect order Collembola, a
primitive group of small wingless, soft bodied insects which
possess a forked muscular structure at the tip of the abdomen
that enable them to hop about in a springing action when the
abdomen is arched and suddenly released. In Maine we commonly
experience local outbreaks of two species which we call
snowfleas that become most abundant during spring thaws when
they swarm on the surface of the snow and ground. The title is
misleading as they do not bite but are so named because of their
ability to jump. Although colors vary in any one species, we
have found that in most cases our two "snowfleas" are of consist
color when swarming. The two that we encounter most often are
the typical and more common snowflea, Hypogastrura nivicola
Fitch, which is sooty or gunpowder (dull) black. Their swarms
can literally blanket the surface of th