Tiny white bugs in bark

[kalanchoe]

Hi Orchidboard!

I've noticed these itty bitty white bugs crawling around the bark in my orchid pots. I don't see them in my sphagnum moss pots, and I don't see them crawling on the leaves or flowers. I haven't detected any damage to leaves or flowers, either. They crawl around pretty fast all over the bark pieces, and there are white specks stuck to the inside of the pots and bark.

Any ideas about what these are? My main concern is that they might be munching on my roots! I haven't de-potted any to investigate, but the roots I can see through the clear pots seem fine. The plants don't seem to be suffering for it (yet?).

I'm an optimist, so I'm hoping these bugs are somehow benign or beneficial! If not, how can I get rid of them?

Below, the zoomed-out photo shows the many little white specs that are stuck to the inside of the pot. Those aren't the actual bugs, but seem to be bug-related. The bugs are similar in size and color to the specs, though. I've zoomed in on one of the bugs in that picture to show more detail. The pics were taken right after I watered, so the medium is kinda soggy, especially the rice hulls. The medium is only a few months old.

[catwalker808]

The white material might be the moulting of the immature critter as it changes to its adult form. Try catching one of them, squish it gently without demolishing it & examine it under a magnifying lens.

Specifically, count the legs. Check if it is only about 1/8" & slender & has 6-12 legs. What you have may be symphylans. They are slender, tiny, fast moving, photophobic (avoid the light). Depending on their state of maturity, adults may have 6-12 legs. They are more like centipedes & are not insects. They are also destructive of roots.

Just google symphylans for lots of info, if your bugs look like what I described.

[silken]

I think I can see one in the very centre of the 2nd picture with at least 6 legs??

[Discus]

They look like juvenile springtails (Springtail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) - perhaps that's what they are?
.

They might also be fungus gnat larvae


The other fairly common "leaf litter critter" it might be is some kind of bristletail.

You can try flushing them out, but changing your potting medium or applying some form of insecticide - best to know what they are before treating.

Would need a wayyyy more zoomed in picture to see anything (preferably through a microscope!). You will also find that you can use a small hand lens (10x) to have a closer look at these - probably easiest if you snag some out of the container and put them in something else for examination, so you don't have the distortion from the pot.

[silken]

Ughh! Horrid looking things!

[kalanchoe]

Thanks for the brainstorm, everyone!

Catwalker808, I bet you're right about the white material being a remnant of molting! That makes a lot of sense. As far as symphylans go, I think these are much, much smaller- definitely less than a millimeter long. The biggest bug I could capture in a photo is in the middle the second picture, and that's using a macro lens. For reference, the light brown things in the media are hulls from rice grains.

Silken, you've got some good eyes! That is indeed a bug in the center of that picture, and I've tried to upload a bigger version of it below. From the original picture I have, I see six legs plus a set of antennae.

Discus, I've tried to upload a more zoomed in version for you below; I'm not sure how many times magnified this is; I just used a macro lens and cropped the photo to get the little bug as large as possible. This particular bug in the photo is easily the biggest one I've observed, and it's not even a millimeter long. I appreciate your linking to those critter pictures! What's stumping me is that I only see these little white ones in my pots; I don't see anything else flying or crawling around that looks like a more mature form or next step in the life cycle, even though they've been around for awhile.

I can definitely change out the medium soon. Any idea on what type of insecticide might help get rid of six-legged creatures?

Thanks again!

[kalanchoe]

After more reading online, I think the best guess to go with right now is what Discus thought: springtails. Apparantly, some species are very small and white in the adult form, which fits. They also are flightless and can jump when disturbed, which matches what I'm seeing here, also.

While some sources differ, the consensus I could find indicates that they are not harmful to humans or household plants, though they have potential to damage the immature, fine roots of plants like baby lettuce. The recommended treatment is to let the soil dry out once and then try to control the moisture after that.

This University of Minnesota Extension article has plenty of helpful info:

UMn Extension: Springtails

Thanks for your help, you guys! I'll let you know how it goes.

[silken]

Yep, that's the beast I saw! I think you mentioned they had recently been re-potted. For myself, I would just flush the pot with a mix of malathion and water. Repeat in a week to get any eggs that may have hatched. I would probably throw out any media from that bag that you hadn't used unless you are sure they aren't in there. It seems that must be where they came from.

[kalanchoe]

Silken, I'm still impressed that you could see that bug on the tiny picture that I first uploaded! Thanks for the tip, I can try that before going through the trouble of repotting.

[greenpassion]

A question to Kalanchoe and Silken: Have you guys ever used Safer Soap on your orchid potting medium? I grow in S/H, and as Silken is already aware, I too have these little tiny white things crawling around in my hydroton pellets. I can't help but think they are more fly like, but as Kalanchoe says, there are no gnats flying around, or any other form of insect detected. Still, what should I be using on my medium? These 'pots' are actually clear glass vases jars I've drilled holes into. They are all newly 'potted' inside of 3 months, so I don't think it's a matter of the hydroton breaking down....