Tiny Bugs In The Sandbox
Tiny bugs in the sandbox. In this guide, we will focus on nine tiny minor bugs in the sandbox that can prevent children from having a fun time. But don’t worry – some of these bugs can also bite your kids!
This is certainly not ideal, and luckily, however, there’s a way to keep the sandbox bug-free for good. We’ll show you how to get rid of pesky bugs in this guide.
Tiny Bugs In The Sandbox
1. Springtails
Springtails are tiny bugs – about the size of a raisin! They’re wingless and have several different colors, including dark brown, grey, black, cream, and light brown.
Their oval-shaped heads house two antennae and springtails tend to hide in damp areas like your home’s gutters or the shower drain.
However, as they need moisture to hatch their eggs and raise their young, they will often target high-traffic areas like bathrooms and laundries as both can be susceptible to flooding.
The good news is that springtails do not bite humans or pets – but it may not always be this way as they are known for jumping randomly when feeling threatened, which could cause great concern with young children in years to come.
2. Sand Fleas
Sand fleas belong to the order Isopoda. They are similar in shape to a flea but are crustaceans, not insects.
Sand fleas are sand-dwelling animals that feed on organic matter, soak up the sun’s rays during the day, and avoid being buried in the sand.
Rarely do they bite humans; they prefer to bite animals such as dogs, cats, and other mammals like feral pigs who dig around in sandy areas.
Anyone bitten by a sand flea should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately afterward since their bites tend to itch.
Suppose a sand flea is found embedded in an animal or human. In that case, it should be removed as it can become infected due to not passing through any saliva during the painful process of attachment which can eventually lead to serious health problems.
3. Pill Bugs
Pill bugs or rolly pollies in the sandpit are gotten from your garden. Not harmful; pill bugs look spooky. They’ve got scales on their bodies, and they’re greyish brown.
Like other bugs listed here, rolly pollies invade a sandbox because they’re already at your house! Frequently these pill bugs are accidental invaders of the sandbox.
They can crawl into a sandbox out of interest. Pill bugs live in and eat decaying organic matter like dead leaves, dead plants, and rotting wood pieces of wood.
Pill bugs also live near seashores feeding on planktons, so if you’re home by the coast, pill bugs at homes or houses are likely indeed.
4. Silverfish
Silverfish are known for their color; they mostly come in shades of metallic grey. It’s important to know that silverfish do not eat wooden structures.
However, you can still see them swarming around pieces of furniture when you mistake leaving out a small amount of food or crumbs, which will inevitably attract them from time to time into your environment.
You might also see silverfish infestations much more commonly on rainy days hence why you might want to carefully inspect your basement or crawlspace if such an occasion comes up.
Also, keep in mind that silverfish will prefer to live inside the harborage of dark and moist areas, so it makes perfect sense to consider their presence in a sandbox since sandboxes tend to offer both characteristics required by this creature’s needs.
5. Red Fire Ants
Red fire ants are vicious insects if they happen to infest the sandbox in your backyard. If you live in any of the southern states, this is one of the more troubling bugs when it comes to keeping children entertained.
If accidentally stepped on, these biting and stinging ants multiply quickly and leave a child with hundreds of bites that need immediate medical attention.
Not only that, but a single red fire ant can bite multiple times! Children who are allergic or sensitive to these essential biting insects may find themselves in terrible pain shortly after playing on a wet day.
Red fire ants are pretty aggressive and will not stop their ferocious defense until an individual steps away from whatever area they have built their colony or mounds around.
6. Spiders
Spiders don’t hide in a sandbox during the day. Instead, they wait until it gets dark to emerge from their hiding places and roam around looking for food.
Children are especially at risk when playing in a sandbox during the evening hours as the brown recluse and black widow spiders typically take shelter in cracks or corners of sandbox toys.
While most spider bites will cause no harm, your child can become ill or experience pain after being bitten by one of these arachnids.
Conclusion
This guide reveals a list of tiny bugs in the sandbox that can land a painful bite on your child, including sand fleas, red fire ants, carpenter ants, and many others.
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