Creating a closed insect vivarium, what insects eat dead plant matter and mossy stuff?

I'm thinking of either worms or springtails, but I live in the UK, and although we apparently have lots of springtails according to Google, I don't think I've ever seen or heard of them in my life before today, so I have no idea how easy/hard it would be to get my hands on them.

Any recommendations for bugs? Are some buyable?

Contributed by bumlarge on 18 October, 2016 - 8:26am

Forest floor detritus

I suggest improvising a simple Berlese funnel by covering the top of a kitchen funnel with a coarse (< 1 cm) cloth mesh or net (I use gardening shade cloth). Put organic stuff from under a rotting log in the middle of the mesh. Illuminate the mesh with a light bulb from about 1 ft above. Direct things that fall into the funnel into a small collection jar surrounded by ice water. That will immobilize them and keep them from drying out. You'll get springtails and mites mostly.

Oh, yes, do this in the garage or outside. Some things might crawl or fly out the top.

… Edward L. Ruden, 14 November, 2016 - 10:46pm

Lots of such detritivores

Isopods and millipedes and more

… john and jane balaban, 18 October, 2016 - 8:56am

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