Extremely tiny transparent bugs in the soil?
 

Hi everyone.
This is my first time having orchids and I read so much information all the time but I couldn't find anything at all about these microscopic bugs in my orchid.

They are many and very tiny, a bit transparent pale yellow/white. They've got tiny antennas and move extremely fast. They stay only in the soil and appear after I water the orchid and run fast on the surface. The only bug I think they look similar to is montdorensis, but i personally have never seen those myself.

I'm sure they aren't thrips, my first orchid came with very bad infestation and I got rid of them but lost all of the blooms. :(
They aren't springtails too, I've seen those and they are jumpy, while the tiny fellas in my soil just run quick and are kind of oval like a tiny spider.
They don't think they look like a root aphid.

Background info: I have all of my 3 phal orchids in this new bark media (all 3 potted from the same bag) but only one has these bugs. I didn't keep any of the old bark, cleaned and disinfected the roots too before the repot. I've noticed the bugs a week ago and I don't see any damage. The only thing is one of the older blooms, a petal is completely dry and not the whole bloom.

If anyone has any Idea what those bugs are, I'm freaking out a little not knowing if they are bad. :biggrin:

Almost the only critters causing trouble are spider mites, mealy bugs, scale and snails. Otherwise don't worry.

Thank you so much for your reply. That is a relief because I've checked so many photographs of those pests and they don't look or act like them. I do hope I'm not wrong but I am curious what they are. :scratchhead:

Edit: I managed to get a photo but it is so difficult to capture a clean image because they move constantly.

Do an image search on symphypleona springtail and see if you're still sure these aren't springtails.

looks like a spider mite unfortunately.
It is not a good sign that they are crawling around on your leaves.
And they do like hiding in soil so are very hard to eliminate without a mite control spray

Spider Mites: Kill, Control, and Prevent These Nasty Pests

Spider mite? Don't think so. Spider mites are nearly microscopic. To photograph them would require a really good macro lens (like at least 5x) To see them at that level of detail, would take good jeweler's loupe. The one in the photo is little, but not THAT little. Photo is really quite good for something so little - six legs and two antennae.

Thank you for taking time to reply everyone.

I start to think that they might actually be root aphids. :( I've been searching more and I found a few videos on YouTube and they seem like the ones I have. They move fairly quick and also move their antennae all the time too. I really hope they aren't. There are so many and I would think that there will be deffinetely a lot of damage showing on the plant.

I have poked around in the bark media and noticed a few partially dead roots and the bugs crawling around, but this could be also from a transplant shock?! At the same time it has new tiny roots growing.
She also has many and very big blooms. This might be because she has a lot of roots and I only had to cut a few small dead ones while repotting.
If they are aphids I have no idea how they have moved in, I even cleaned and desinfected the root system before potting. I don't have other plants in the apartment, not really a green thumb here. :D I'm thinking they must have came with the plant.

I looked for other types but the springtail body looks longer or too round like a spider.

I guess I have to keep an eye if she gets clear pest damage.

Edit: On the second photo you can see one of the petals that is dry.

The bug on the Phalaenopsis flower is a thrip. (I have seen plenty of THOSE in my lifetime... damage flowers.) They fly, so could be from anywhere in your environment. Not necessarily from the medium.

For the ones in the medium... repot. Even if it is in bloom, repot into fresh bark. Phalaenopsis (I'm assuming we're talking about the same plant here) don't seem to have any problem with repotting while in bloom, just be careful to not knock them around.

Finally! I have these exact same bugs, and I have not been able to identify them. While I am relieved to "meet" someone dealing with the same problem, I am curious as to how to get rid of them. The only time I have seen them is a few days after repotting in fresh, high quality (Orchiata or mixes from RePotMe) bark. I even tried microwaving my bark and dousing with boiling water, but they keep coming back. I have been contemplating a pesticide drench/soak but am a bit leery of some of the things I have read about malathion, etc. I see this message is over a year old; what did you end up doing? Did you get rid of them?

I have used malathion successfully for years. When diluted properly it is harmless to mammals. It kills insect, larva, and eggs.