Please help Identify this bug

LyryC

Active member

ICMag Donor

Veteran

• Jun 13, 2014

• #1

Soil pest or beneficial... I'm not sure.

They move very fast are for sure Mites of some type

All Foliage is clean and bug free.

They are NOT ROOT APHIDS - I been watching these things run around like they got their heads chopped off. Never stopping on the roots or anything.

I'm not worried but would like to further educate myself.

I have/had gnats and they say soil mites are fungi and larvae predators.

Thank you Everyone!

 

LyryC

Active member

ICMag Donor

Veteran

• Jun 13, 2014

• #2

I'm going to work on some better Macros later.

The fucker moved so fast on the pen cap I only got 2 good pictures.

 

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Storm Shadow

Well-known member

Veteran

• Jun 13, 2014

• #3

Hypoaspis miles .... He's on your team

 

LyryC

Active member

ICMag Donor

Veteran

• Jun 13, 2014

• #4

Thanks SS

 

M

medicalmj

Active member

Veteran

• Jun 23, 2014

• #5

You have more than one species of soil mite my friend. Doubt you're lucky enough to have a beneficial predator like hypoaspis miles, but they're harmless nonetheless. From what I can clearly see. You most definitely could have something bad like fungus gnat larvae and/or RAs as well tho.

 

M

medicalmj

Active member

Veteran

• Jun 23, 2014

• #6

LyryC said:

Soil pest or beneficial... I'm not sure.

They move very fast are for sure Mites of some type

All Foliage is clean and bug free.

They are NOT ROOT APHIDS - I been watching these things run around like they got their heads chopped off. Never stopping on the roots or anything.

I'm not worried but would like to further educate myself.

I have/had gnats and they say soil mites are fungi and larvae predators.

View Image View Image

Thank you Everyone!

Click to expand...

They are not feeding on the gnat larvae, rather they are feeding on the decaying roots that the gnat larvae produce. Gnats have caused decaying roots that they killed, or worse, and the mites show up to feed.

 

P

Patmando22

Member

• Jun 23, 2014

• #7

An inch pot cleaned silica sand from home depot on top your soil will kill the larvae and save your roots

 

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Patmando22

Member

• Jun 23, 2014

• #8

Pot.... of*

 

V

vegtable

Member

• Jun 24, 2014

• #9

thanks for the photos, i am dealing with the same looking pest

i feel your pain!!

wish i could help, mine definattly have the gnat larve or some small worm type thing, i also have jumping silver bugs as well.

captian jacks deadbug didnt work on any of my soil bugs.

 

M

medicalmj

Active member

Veteran

• Jun 24, 2014

• #10

vegtable said:

thanks for the photos, i am dealing with the same looking pest

i feel your pain!!

wish i could help, mine definattly have the gnat larve or some small worm type thing, i also have jumping silver bugs as well.

captian jacks deadbug didnt work on any of my soil bugs.

Click to expand...

You have springtails and fungus gnats. Use SNS 209 with every watering for a couple weeks and they'll be gone, or at least the fungus gnats since springtails don't eat roots that often whereas FGs love to nibble on fine root hairs.