small white bugs?

[bluntedinwarren]

everytime i water these lil white bugs appear on the soil and shortly later disappear....they dont seem 2 be on my plant at all or causing any damage but literally there r like a hundred of em then after 15 min they r gone...i think they live in the soil which i was cheap and dug it out my backyard....anyone know anything about these?

 

[ganjagarious]

from my experience you should take the plants and soil out of you room sterilize and start over. If you must use free or even cheap soil form the nursery make sure to bake it in the over to get to at least 160 for 20 minutes to an hour to kill grass seed and bug eggs as well as mold spores and any other unknowns. If starting over is not a possibility water the soil with a solution of .5% neem oil and .5% plain liquid dish soap(not antibacterial or anything crazy just straight dawn.) this is about 1.5 teaspoons neem per gallon of water, you can add nutrients too if you want, thry this for two or three days and then your bugs will become sterile and will eventually die without making any kiddies. Pyrethiums work too , generally more expensive and products containing can also have damaging additives that Are not good for edibles and smokables

 

[ganjagarious]

that is oven for 20 minutes to an hour reaching 160 degrees F

 

[Ethnobotanist]

everytime i water these lil white bugs appear on the soil and shortly later disappear....they dont seem 2 be on my plant at all or causing any damage but literally there r like a hundred of em then after 15 min they r gone...i think they live in the soil which i was cheap and dug it out my backyard....anyone know anything about these?

They're the larval form of either spider mites or fungus gnats. Things that will EVENTUALLY eat your plants. Most soil growers have to contend with them at some point. I would flood the soil really well with a nutrient strong solution- if the pot is flooded for a good long while, this will kill off most of them. I've been able to control pest problems successfully this way in the past. But if that fails, or just isn't enough, neem oil is about the only GOOD solution.

~Ethno

 

[bluntedinwarren]

well i only have 1 plant and its 5 weeks into flower mode and no sign of damage whatsoever and they been there b4 i started 12/12....are you sure that they will try n eat my plant?

 

[Ethnobotanist]

Well, without pictures, the best I can tell you is that they are larvae. And in my experience, usually fungus gnats. Like I said, they can be controlled. My plants never got more than a few small holes on the lower fan leaves. Chances are that they are some kind of gnat.

But they could be the larvae of almost any kind of insect. They may or may not eat your plants. They may just buzz in your ear and annoy you. You just have to wait and see. Neem oil is a good investment regardless, because you'll probably have to use it at some point. FoxFarm also makes an excellent product that I believe is called "Don't Bug Me!". Kills everything dead.

Better safe than sorry, no?

~Ethno

 

[bluntedinwarren]

i did sum google-ing and pretty sure they r called springtails or like u said fungus gnats

 

[EpiDemiK]

I have those in the soil of the catnip and zinnia that im growing, and they've been there for 3 months+ and no damage. I think they are no threat to the plant. Of course without photo's I can't confirm they are the same bugs.

 

[natmoon]

The larvae eat your roots,killing them will improve your yield.
I would take the advice about flooding the plants with a very slightly strong, i.e. if it says 5ml per litre use 7ml,nutrient water solution and drowning them and use a pin to kill as many as you can when you see them.
These larvae often kill seedlings and clones outright

 

[JoeBlo]

hey man i just came across the same exact problem.... i've noticed a few darker colored ant looking critters but a little smaller than ants occasionally around also... i've got fox farm's nice soil and came up w/this problem... so it might not have been your dirt...

i just purchased that don't bug me spray by fox farm yesterday and sprayed for the first time..... something that my grow doctor "sales guy at the indoor grow center" if you use that don't bug me he said make sure you spray when it's time to kill the lights cuz that stuff will burn just about anything including your plants under the strong lights we're using yes even cfls... so i moved around the top soil to let those little bugs start moving around and sprayed and turned off the lights... we'll see if there are fewer or anything today i'll keep ya posted

 

[JoeBlo]

well today i had less but there's still a few... and so i knocked off as much dirt as i could and transplanted too

 

[Kage VS. Shadow]

get pics and show us damnit!

 

[Cann]

That shit was springtails...they dont really do anything bad they just jump around alot. No moisture: no springtails

 

[menace07]

i have exactly this problem there are laods of them but only in one pot and ive used the same soil for 5 other girls and they seem to be ok looking not too thoro.
I will try this neem oil but they look transparant with a white tint. exactly how some people HAVE described!!
Any more Ointers on this??

 

[wallimaster]

ok i got a problem with i believe is spider mites. im starting to find small spider web like tents on my tightest buds. and seeing some bud loss from them eating . what should i do to rid my grow room of this pest. i am well ventilated and have two fans running all time blowing across the pots.

 

[cheta]

There are a cauple different kinds of Spray I have the same problem I have some spary i bought from wal mart just sprayed this morning dont know how they are doing yet but i will let you know the name little later this evening

 

[CustomHydro]

ok i got a problem with i believe is spider mites. im starting to find small spider web like tents on my tightest buds. and seeing some bud loss from them eating . what should i do to rid my grow room of this pest. i am well ventilated and have two fans running all time blowing across the pots.

Whoa! Sounds like u are in big trouble my friend. U may be making hash with this crop...
If they already have houses built and hunks of bud missing, they are infested bad!
Do u have pics?

There are a lot of tips on how to handle spider mites, but u better make a move fast! It may be too late....

EDIT:
I just re-read my post and I made it sound like it was the end of the world for you. There are a lot of ways to treat these things but they are a pain in the ass and not to be taken lightly. U should always be looking for signs of them to catch them early enough to KILLLLLLLL

 

[Cann]

LADYBUGS. They will eat all of the spider mites...but it might be too late

 

[fourfinger]

I have these same bugs. I went and bought some beneficial nematodes and added them to the soil per directions. I will let you know the outcome.