Small insects in media only

[Floradora]

I have noticed many many very small insects in my orchid medium, first in regular orchid bark mix then also in sphagnum moss ..they seem to confine themselves to the media and not travel to the plant itself or disturb the roots . They don’t fly or jump.I am contemplating using malathion but would like opinions on just what they are and how worried should I be..every orchid is affected (about 40) I have a video but I’m unable to post it for some “security” issue..which is extremely frustrating as I’ve been trying to get answers from this site for weeks.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Floradora

I have noticed many many very small insects in my orchid medium, first in regular orchid bark mix then also in sphagnum moss ..they seem to confine themselves to the media and not travel to the plant itself or disturb the roots . They don’t fly or jump.I am contemplating using malathion but would like opinions on just what they are and how worried should I be..every orchid is affected (about 40) I have a video but I’m unable to post it for some “security” issue..which is extremely frustrating as I’ve been trying to get answers from this site for weeks.

Your post count is only 1. You must not be trying very hard to get answers! You have to get your post count up to 5 before you can post images.

[Floradora]

I tried using a different log in a number of times until I gave up and re registered.. this site isn’t too user friendly in my humble opinion,I didn’t know I had to post 5 times before I could add a picture.. why is that? I just want an answer to my question, isn’t that what the forum is for?

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Floradora

I tried using a different log in a number of times until I gave up and re registered.. this site isn’t too user friendly in my humble opinion,I didn’t know I had to post 5 times before I could add a picture.. why is that? I just want an answer to my question, isn’t that what the forum is for?

I don't know why the rules are what they are, I just post here. This site is definitely for answering questions, but questions of identification generally require images for those more experienced to look at. That said, the fact that they're in the medium and not on the plants points towards them being harmless detritovores, probably springtails. But without a pic it's just an educated guess.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Floradora

I have a video but I’m unable to post it for some “security” issue.

A video is probably not necessary. Just a close-up photo (magnified) of the insect, and that should be adequate. The photo could be uploaded to this thread.

I think that if the insects have been living there for a relatively long time - and if no harm has been done to the orchids, then it's even possible that they could bring nutrients to the orchids - or have some sort of beneficial effect. On the other hand, it's possible that insects could also bring in disease from somewhere.

---------- Post added at 04:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Floradora

I didn’t know I had to post 5 times before I could add a picture.. why is that? I just want an answer to my question, isn’t that what the forum is for?

I didn't encounter that rule when I first joined up, as I was only posting comments at the time. And after a few days, without even being aware of it, had done about 10 posts already. And - at that time, I was just interested in chatting about growing orchids in general, and admiring the photos of orchids (and flowers) grown by the members here.

The forum is certainly a place for discussing orchids. But those rules are there - probably to handle or deal with certain issues that general forum admins have encountered over the years, like automatic spam-bots or pranksters etc ----- ie. things that us regular users don't foresee, while the forum admins know about ----- maybe not from their own experiences --- but from the experience of forum board admins in general. That's why there are certain settings (or default settings) that come with forum board server software.

[Floradora]

Here is a still photo as I still cannot post a video,I appreciate your help in trying to identify the “mites”? If they are somehow beneficial then I won’t attempt to use malathion..I still would rather get rid of them though for aesthetic reasons..

[SouthPark]

Thanks flora ... for posting a photo. Once uploaded, just check to see whether you are able to see the mites clearly from the photo. The reason is ----- if you aren't able to see the mites clearly from the newly uploaded photo, then it will probably be impossible for anyone else to see the mites in that photo. The resolution needs to be good enough to view the subject of interest - the mites. At the moment, I can only see a relatively small photo showing the underside of a pot.

[Floradora]

I’m trying to post a better picture of the little buggers, they do jump but not fly.. should i try to eradicate them with malathion? Are they springtails?
Thank you all for your patience with me

[aliceinwl]

From what I can tell, they are springtails. These would be completely harmless to you and your plant.

[Dollythehun]

Try soaking the media with warm soapy water. That often works for me.