You know, I've seen and read almost everything i can find about spider mites, but these don't look like spider mites. They jump around, spider mites don't jump do they? And I haven't seen any of these buggers on any of the plant, just in the soil. They seem to reproduce like mad crazy, they have infested two gardens, and my vegetable garden. They dig tunnels in the ground.I haven't seen any eggs though so I don't know if this is a colony, an infestation of something from using manure that wasn't quite dry yet.... But spider mites you say eh?
And I've read about fungal gnats but I have yet to see any of the other stages for them. And these things...I dunno they just look and at different from all the pictures I've seen and the information I've read...
We tried the neems oil, it didn't seem to affect them too badly. We also tried organicide, and predatory nematodes. We're currently trying Malathion. There's just so many of them, and they're everywhere.
I'm primarily worried that this is a hive situation, you know? Like, what if they're some odd sort of termite? But they don't look like termites either...I've never known termites to jump around like fleas.
My girls aren't in pots, they're all lined up on mounds. I've lost three to these bugs (I think the bugs are the culprit)
The plants start yellowing like a nitrogen deficiency for a while. Maybe a week. Then they begin to droop as if they need more water or you're over watering them. They're leaves feel poofy like it's a nutrient blockage or something. And then finally they die. Even if you try and transplant them. I transplanted two of my girls before they started looking too bad with the yellowing, and they're doing much better.
But I have girls that are in the very early stages of flowering and ummm... I don't think I should transplant them into pots at this point.
I'm afraid they wouldn't make it through the transplant shock in this heat while they bud, ya know? If they weren't flowering I'd do it.
You guys think I should take the risk anyways? Just get them out of there?