We are strange creatures. For the last few years, I’ve been keeping a curious and slightly bemused eye on some of the more extreme conspiracy websites around the internet. It’s fascinating and depressing in equal measures. On the one hand, it’s deeply depressing to realise how many people are now vehemently anti-vaccine, who would rather believe in homeopathy, Flat Earth, Reiki, unicorns and Big Pharma-supressed cancer cures than science. On the other, reading about bizarre world views so opposed to one’s own is undeniably fascinating.

Tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists are now everywhere. They walk amongst us, feeling like awakened, interesting wolves amongst the boring sheeple. The tinfoil hats are to prevent the government tracking them down and drugging them into submission with fluoride and chemtrails.

Thanks to the echo chamber of the online world, what were once just a few harmless cranks down the pub have become united across the world, encouraging each other to drop their government-imposed crutches and walk. It’s possible to believe absolutely anything and still find a group of people who will not only agree with you, but will be willing companions as you jump blindly down the rabbit hole of TRUTH.

So, the reason for me meandering in this so far non-hexapod themed post is this. Far too often, I'm sent questions via this website, or my springtail Facebook page, always from the United States, from people who think that their bodies are infested by springtails. This is part of a curious and bizarre set of beliefs called Morgellons Syndrome/Disease by its sufferers.

Individuals believe that their skin is crawling with biting and burrowing insects, amongst other things and prove it with out of focus photos of black objects and mysterious fibres growing into the skin or exiting from self-inflicted wounds and scratches. Not surprisingly, Morgellons is always self-diagnosed and strongly insisted upon when sat in yet another disbelieving doctor’s surgery.

With a condition like Morgellons, apart from the usual evils lined up to blame, such as aliens, vaccines, government nanotechnology, the Illuminati and the devil, Collembola have often been singled out as the main culprits behind any bout of frenzied itching and crawling sensations. Someone's even made up a name for the specific sensations. Collemboliasis.

Any website dedicated to Morgellons will always have a few threads dedicated to springtails and how to get rid of them, from bathing in bleach, turpentine or insecticide, to scrubbing with nail brushes and detergent until the skin is raw. There are photos of the larval form, even though springtails don’t have one, as well as photos of debris, often drawn into with a pen to bring out shapes that might look like a springtail, if you had never seen one. Imagining patterns and inferring meanings where none exist is a well known human psychological phenomenon known as pareidolia. People describe having hundreds of springtails in their clothes and hair, biting and burrowing under their skin, or entering through their tear ducts, even though a basic understanding of springtails would make you realise that they don't live on humans, they're not parasitic and can’t burrow or bite, let alone crawl upstream through your tears. Samples are repeatedly sent to ‘specialists’- usually pest exterminators who are happy to make a positive identification based on the money they’re about to make. Houses are turned upside-down, belongings sprayed or burned, all to stop the itching and scratching. There are reports of skin 'glitter' which can only be dried springtail sperm, and tales of multiple experiments using springtails in aerial crop-spraying, where all the online articles describing them, disappeared one day, mysteriously excised wholesale from the internet.

Then there's a whole cluster of theories about the links between Morgellons and the ever popular chronic Lyme disease. Or just going for Lyme’s disease and springtails, like this gem, for example…“If a person has Lyme disease they (springtails) do infest humans. And they do spread this disease. It’s quite infectious. These animals are the first thing to decompose a dead body. Bartonella and Babesia make a person smell like they’re dead, causing the attraction.” Perhaps it’s that Morgellons is being caused by 'a combination of GMO and chemtrail Bio/polymer assaults'. Or even that it’s caused by ‘Polynucleotides encoding insect steroid hormone receptor polypeptides’.

No, me neither. But at least there's no mention of Collembola. Even Frans Janssens, of collembola.org gets to be accused of being a Collembola shill. Whatever that is.

The Wikipedia article on Morgellons has been targeted specifically by Morgellons groups, as it persists in calling it a delusory parasitosis, which, with the best will in the world, it is. Morgellons Syndrome is a very recent phenomenon and along with chronic Lyme disease, seems to be one of the first purely internet-spread delusional skin conditions. I want to be very clear here- suffering undefined, continual pain, neuralgia or long term itching and crawling sensations on and in the skin is real and horrible. The delusion isn’t that there is pain. Having fibres present in repeatedly scratched and opened welts is understandable. And not a delusion. It’s hard to prevent some natural and man-made fibres being present in any repeatedly opened sores in the skin.

Morgellons seems to be whatever people on the internet want it to be. It’s possible that amongst the raft of symptoms, problems and paranoia people keep adding onto their self-diagnosis of Morgellons might be something tangible, with a clinical definition. It's possible. But the problems aren't caused by springtails. There’s no denying that some people suffer terribly from persistent, vague itching, often scratching the skin enough to make it bleed, with the wound picking up fibres and fluff. It's also true that imagining an itch and actually having one can be impossible to tell apart, both for a sufferer and a doctor. There could well be a link for some people between a tick-borne disease and some of the symptoms seen in Morgellons. However, the senseless scapegoating or scapespringtailing of Collembola… well, I have to say, that's the delusion that really gets under my skin.

This blog post has resulted in the most wondering outpouring of bile and peculiarity over the years, sent personally to me. Here are some samples. Thanks to everyone who has contributed. It’s been completely worth every wish for illness, violence and death upon my sceptical head.

‘No delight in Chaos unless you enjoy cruel ignorance you abusive bastard Karma is coming and it will fit what you have reaped lol I will enjoy your suffering’ B B

‘Just wanted to know what a piece of shit you are for putting this misleading information out there I suffer from morgellons.. Just like the one comment said you're a dick head hope you feel so bad that you end up committing suicide but you're probably not capable of feeling empathy are you. So better yet go fuck yourself.’ Jason B

‘You moronic all you have knowledge of is whatever bugs you specialise in. I'm calling you out and know you will be judged accordingly. I don't even suffer from this myself but a group of pictures I had to investigate for someone and as soon as I had seen the things these people are showing you just know its not just fibers you fool.’ A. Martin

‘…the chickens and cats also had morgellons… I will eventually share all my findings with people. All information from credible sources and best of all from studies of unrelated interest that all Cora-late to show situ.’ Karl

‘You’re a huge dickhead I hope you kill yourself like you led many others, fuck you you disgusting pig’. J Parker

“DUH, this P.O.S. is an establishment "tool" !!! Just another shill trying to make people feel stupid for buying into what can no longer be hidden!” Mike Knowsu

‘But maybe think about why so many people that don’t know each other would say this ALL OVER THE WORLD! and in my case never even seen the crap online until I was afflicted trying to find answers so I’m sure there’s plenty like me out there also. Oh and just to clarify, some Collembola do use chitin and I know they dont lay eggs bc I have their larvae in my fingers. Which by the way they put fresh ones in my fingers yesterday after the others left. And strepsiptera do have the mouth parts. I know bc I have them too. Read articles about them. I’ve read they have mouth parts scientists don’t even know what for. I know what they’re for though! And read in your previous bugs. Some have a weird pattern on them that allows them to be 100% water proof- actually repell it. Also have the ability to breath where no oxygen- sounds like a perfect combo to live under skin. One day it’ll all come out about this bc it’s 100% factual. And u kind sir, will be sipping your spit of tea fLabbergasted and then maybe u will be a little sorry how y speak to people that only want answers and not to “bug” u. But u like that.’ M. E.

‘I really don't understand how someone with such an obviously beautiful mind could be so ignorant and arrogant at the same time. I stumbled upon your page when searching for insight and hope for a long standing issue I've been struggling with mmensely for the better half of a year. Instead of finding scholarly articles giving insightful information, I was met with your snobbish whinings about a condition you clearly have zero knowledgeable contributions.’ B. J.


’Morgellon's Syndrome is quite real, and the implications of Morgellon's is both profound and quite complex. I do not believe in Morgellon's, I live with it. One cannot believe in something they have directly experienced, they know it through direct experience.
The offending variable is patent #US 5514578 A: Polynucleotides encoding insect steroid hormone receptor polypeptides. And yes, this is dispersed throughout the environment via Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering of which I and mumerous others globally have hard samples of.’ A. I.


‘I'm guessing that you are basically too insecure and emotionally weak to handle the idea that what you know (being a result of the lies and misinformation you've been fully conditioned with since you were born) is WRONG. I understand that it can be painful to find out that almost everything you've been taught your entire life is not true. But it is undeniably liberating to start learning about reality.
You have been the victim of mind control, misinformation, and manipulation your entire life that has resulted in your arrogance and your ignorance.
I find comfort in knowing that many bullies like you have inevitably been afflicted with the same conditions that they like to dismiss as fake or imagined. I'm hoping that karma might put you in this group so you can experience the same pain and oppression that you have inflicted on others.
Seriously, you really should consider dropping the arrogant attitude. It is so unappealing and abrasive. I'm guessing you have trouble in relationships also.’ M. K.

‘it is your condescending arrogance and lack of understanding of the reality of the illness that is so aggravating You rely on your faulty belief system of what you deem to be possible and impossible, that you need to reexamine.
You are so convincing. I'd dare say smug. But you are incorrect. It's not an insult, it's just the truth. Come spend 24 hours with me, and I guarantee your opinion will change. I have no doubt, because regarding this issue, I am right and you are wrong. One hundred per cent certain. You are incorrect. I have zero doubt when I state you are wrong. And that is the truth.’ G. J.

‘It's real so you can stop laughing.’ A. W.

’I do know more people denying and spreading ignorance is preventing me from wreeping the benefits of someone helping or discovering a cure. So thanks. Keep trolling. Maybe even go for some house visits. Try and get infected - after all it's not real anyway. You can't right?’ A. D.

‘I hypostasize that the main disruption and malfunction for individuals with Morgellons is in the phosphorous based sheaths that cover both cells and the nervous system.
Phosphorous cannot remain in this dimension without being compounded with another element and makes a hissing sound when isolated and exposed to normal atmosphere. The most explosive bombs made by man are phosphorous based.
Phosphorous in any form is volatile therefore when imbalanced in the human body by toxic chemicals this key chemical element can become low voltage electricity therefore generating a cascading effect that fires into the nervous system and feels like crawling sensation under the skin.
The breakdown of the Phosphorous sheaths into electrical energy cannot be detected by any kind of microscope.
Phosphorous is very sensitive and reactive to various wavelengths of light that are apparently best absorbed and distributed throughout the body via the soles of the feet.
Morgellons ulcers normally take weeks or months to begin the healing process but the Tri-Vortex process neutralized the sample ulcer in six days.
A single beam of laser transmitted through a NOA unit was used in the pictures above but a multiple scatter beam laser can address a multitude of ulcers.
Are the specially built Tri-Vortex laser and infrared lights applied to the feet and the ulcer neutralizing the toxic chemicals? This one case study indicates probably.
The Tri-Vortex protocols are intended to supplement and support any and all other modalities addressing Morgellons Disease.’ B. D. A.

‘I am fascinated by how far your stupidity led you. Suppose the morgelons wish. You're an adept at the Millennium Prize. I would like your crystal ball! Such a charge of conscious truth. And with you it didn't go. You are publicly an ox. And yet a wretch .. You know nothing about it? Even this morgelon fiber has a better character than you.’ Haluz