Root Aphids, Fungus Gnats, and other fun bugs (ID PICS)

[Pawn]

Making sure I don't have another task to master, this(top left corner of the pot) is a fruit fly, and not something I need to panic about. Right?

I looked around, and couldn't find another insect that looks like these guys. There's like 3 flying around in my tent right now. We are currently battling these annoying bastards in the apartment, but I've had Murphy all over my grow today and I'd really rather not add "bugs" to the problem list tonight :D

 

[SmokesalotofVT]

hello all.. I got a Question about some Bugs i discovered this afternoon
if anyone knows a good way to get rid of them>>>?? never seen one
before today but found a bunch hanging out on 1 of my plants.. these are
Outdoor plants and I had to find a pic on line my camera would'nt focus
enough .. I used some sevin dust .. only thing i had that might help~!
the Candy-striped leafhopper...
and a few other names..

 

[Og Gong]

Hypoaspis Miles - the garden boss

Hypoaspis mites are your friends. If you see these guys in your soil - do not worry, they are there to help.
Predators of thrips, fungus gnats, springtails, and occasionally young root aphids (if the aphids are eating a diet that restricts them from producing toxins), Hypoaspis live in the top inch of soil, migrating lower as the soil dries out. Find them after watering, or by scratching the soil surface to the moisture level. They are extremely small - about the size of an immature root aphid. They can eat up to 5 bugs a day, and reproduce in the soil very quickly, with only 11 days past from egg to mature mite. If no prey is present in the soil mites will feed on fungus and decaying organic material - the same thing fungus gnat larvae love to eat. These mites are the single best preventative for fungus gnats and make an excellent addition to any garden. I'm currently working on a way to culture and breed the mites so that I can apply them at transplant to every pot I fill.

Here you can see the Hypoaspis mite on the piece of perilite. For reference, this is medium-coarse perilite. These mites are SMALL. Notice the wing a little below the mite - mmm breakfast :)
View attachment 323628


These mites are scurrying around on the lip of a 15 gallon pot. The black edge is the corner of the lip of the pot.

View attachment 323627

Lol i freaked out when i saw these Hypoaspis mite in my garden. I thought they were bad. Good to know they are good guys.

 

[Sd1904]

Clumps of grey insects moving around look like a pile of grey powder with naked eye, anyine identify what they are ? Thanks

 

[Seamaiden]

Ray, go through @caregiverken 's thread on russet mites. I've tagged him so that you can search his posts. I believe I can safely say that he's going with regular applications of diatomaceous earth to control, but I don't recall what he had to do to eradicate them.

Clumps of grey insects moving around look like a pile of grey powder with naked eye, anyine identify what they are ? Thanks

I don't know, but that looks similar to what I've been finding under the heavier canopy cover of my AP plants, mostly the Russian kale (that's been infected with aphids, oddly they're not moving to any other plants except the Russian kale and the mustards, all Brassicas). I'm curious to find out as well.

 

[Sd1904]

Ray, go through @caregiverken 's thread on russet mites. I've tagged him so that you can search his posts. I believe I can safely say that he's going with regular applications of diatomaceous earth to control, but I don't recall what he had to do to eradicate them.

I don't know, but that looks similar to what I've been finding under the heavier canopy cover of my AP plants, mostly the Russian kale (that's been infected with aphids, oddly they're not moving to any other plants except the Russian kale and the mustards, all Brassicas). I'm curious to find out as well.

I was dealing with fungus gnats, I did a soil drench and notice this pile later, at first I thought it was part of the fabric pot from a distanced, upon closer look I notice the pile moving , literally hundred if not thousands of tiny grey specks moving the pile was actually collapsing. Kind of fucking gross to be honest..

 

[We Solidarity]

I was dealing with fungus gnats, I did a soil drench and notice this pile later, at first I thought it was part of the fabric pot from a distanced, upon closer look I notice the pile moving , literally hundred if not thousands of tiny grey specks moving the pile was actually collapsing. Kind of fucking gross to be honest..

Those are springtails, they came to the surface to escape the drench. They're good guys, they break down organic matter (basically competing with fungus gnats for food) and their poop enriches the soil the same way worm castings do.

 

[Sd1904]

Those are springtails, they came to the surface to escape the drench. They're good guys, they break down organic matter (basically competing with fungus gnats for food) and their poop enriches the soil the same way worm castings do.

Damn , really. I ended up killing them. Shit, live and learn. Thanks for the response, feel kind of stupid now.

 

[Toaster79]

Here's another great predator in case you have some mites, thrips, aphids, basically anything that tries to feed of a plant and hurt it.

Lacewing larvae (Chrysoperla Carnea)

The little yellow fella leaving those almost white spots is a thrip soon to be a snack

Here's an unhatched egg of the lacewing

 

[Sunbaked]

for fungus gnats on my clones I put a 1/4 inch cover of sand on top of soil. No more fungus gnats. And order 1800 ladybugs for 80 dollars for the rest. outdoors of course.

 

[FooDoo]

Seems springtails have migrated from outside to the basement last week. Out of the blue , my moms in coco are infested . how can I get rid of these guys? Online it says to simply dry them out. Maybe I'll take clones for new moms and just throw the old ones out and fog everything

 

[Savage Henry]

Hi all, just got a shipment of predator bugs today and snapped some pics for those interested:
Scimitus (the artist previously known as hypoapsis miles):

And a fallacis, a spendy but excellent control for broad mites in my experience:

This thread seems to be the most appropriate place for these. I'll try and capture a fallacis eating a broad mite in the near future.

 

[Savage Henry]

Several places, check out my thread on broad mite control for some links.

 

[Savage Henry]

@FooDoo just had a conversation about springtails today. Though I have no personal experience with them, I'm told a predator bug called atheta coriaria (aka dalotia) is effective. Worth at least a bit of research on google scholar.

 

[KiLoEleMeNt]

Yup @FooDoo 's springer thread is nice and chalk full of good info on these buggers I as was said by someone but edited let um dry out water with dish soap first works for me can't guarantee that it will for you but no one else who dose this has complained either

 

[3N1GM4]

Anyone ever tried this? They are a site sponsor.
http://www.potentgrowth.com/products/eradicate-m

 

[CanadaSeeds]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but if you find a sac spider (Cheiracanthum inclusum) in your house or a couple bring them to your grow area and let them live. They kill aphids and fungus gnats other unwanted's as well. And they won't web on the flowers.

 

[KiLoEleMeNt]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but if you find a sac spider (Cheiracanthum inclusum) in your house or a couple bring them to your grow area and let them live. They kill aphids and fungus gnats other unwanted's as well. And they won't web on the flowers.

View attachment 561122

Well I am wondering if anyone has ever mentioned to you that the sac spider is poisonous and hurts like hell

 

[Og Gong]

Well I am wondering if anyone has ever mentioned to you that the sac spider is poisonous and hurts like hell

Kind of like an assassin bug. Also a beneficial predator that will f%#k you up.

 

[GrowGod]

Ya f that!