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  • soil dwelling pest insects

    Created by hugashrimp on May 15, 2017 at 7:04 am

    I have these tiny insects breeding in my potting soil and some are even coming down into my pebble trays to breed. I cannot for the life of me figure out what bugs these are as they are not fungus gnats or anything else I can find on the “pest list.” They don’t seem to be harming my plants but as they are breeding at an alarming rate they are unsightly and I don’t want them everywhere. I do have a lot of humidity loving plants so they definitely are loving the moist soil. They seem to be flightless and are very small. I do have beneficial nematodes in my soil. Can you please help, as I am scratching my head at what to do?

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  • May 15, 2017 at 11:10 am #237182

    Emily Pendleton
    Member

    Could you possibly give a detailed description of the pests? They may be springtails which, though annoying, aren’t really something to worry about. They breed very fast and are accustomed to taking up lodging in moist areas. If you poke around at them, they will almost always jump (hence the name) so, give that a shot and report back so you can get a bit more help.

    May 15, 2017 at 12:06 pm #237192

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hello –

    They sure sound like springtails to me. Please see the following link to learn how to control these tiny, swarming bugs indoors and out — without toxic chemical sprays!

    https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/springtail-control/

    Good luck!

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