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Did you ever figure out how to kill these things?I had the same issues with deficiencies and suffering plants. I've had roots aphids before and when I experienced the similar problems again I figured it was RA's. I then treated the plants with merit75 and nothing changed. I grabbed my microscope and took some pics... I never was able to find out exactly what kind of mites they were. Maybe someone can identify them, I do have a couple more pics and a video of the bastard running around if anyone's interested. :)
I was thinking root aphids also but there are zero on the stems or leaves only in the soil. If you have time Google Bulb Mites that's what they look like to me. Would the aphids be on the leaves? And also how could I kill these things in organic soil. I already started over completely once and cleaned very well. I just can't keep doing that and at first everything was good for about 3 weeks then Bam they are back. Any suggestions would help.I didn't read any of the posts. I just saw this in the "new posts" section or whatever...but I can tell you, for a certain, those are Root Aphids.
Did you ever figure these things out I'm have the same issues. Thanks!They kind of look like RAs by shape, and the fact that they're crawling on the roots. They're not the darker color I expect, though, and I can't identify the signature "dual tail pipes". These pictures are at 200x and 60x - They look like specks with the naked eye and slowly moving specks with a loupe. I am used to seeing RAs more easily without magnification. The roots where they're found are more brown than the others - though the medium is being reused and full of old roots - so it could possibly be already-dead rootmass attracting them.
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I was thinking root aphids also but there are zero on the stems or leaves only in the soil. If you have time Google Bulb Mites that's what they look like to me. Would the aphids be on the leaves? And also how could I kill these things in organic soil. I already started over completely once and cleaned very well. I just can't keep doing that and at first everything was good for about 3 weeks then Bam they are back. Any suggestions would help.
Thanks!
They are feeding on the roots at the top. I trashed my last grow because of this and bleached everything and didn't grow for two or three months they are still hereThere are some that like to stay under the soil. I've had them many times outside. They also look a little different than the ones you will see above soil. They tend to be a bit more streamlined to maneuver through the soil. Less pointy, "softened edges." Which is why sometimes people confuse them with bulb mites.
Bulb mites are generally smoother looking, like a light bulb. Forgive me, I forget all the proper anatomical names but it will have the head section, & the rest looks like a tiny white water balloon. It will also have tails. The post right above my previous one is a young bulb mite. The shape, smoothness, & tails give it away.
RA's don't have tails like that. It's more like a bump called a Cauda. It's only noticeable with really high resolution pics at super close up, & often you have to be at the right angle. They usually have a horizontal stripe pattern, which is what looks like is going on with your pic, & I don't see tails. If you were able to post those pics as thumbnails so we could enlarge them it might be easier.
But, I'm fairly certain it's just RA's. It's not bulb mites. RA's are a bitch to get rid of.
Personally, if I was inside & I had this problem...I would carefully take the plant & dispose of it. That's the last thing you want in your tent. Or spreading. They lay like 500 eggs in a very short lifespan.
Where are they feeding on the roots? Down low? Or higher up?
Mine also look exactly like the pic aboveThere are some that like to stay under the soil. I've had them many times outside. They also look a little different than the ones you will see above soil. They tend to be a bit more streamlined to maneuver through the soil. Less pointy, "softened edges." Which is why sometimes people confuse them with bulb mites.
Bulb mites are generally smoother looking, like a light bulb. Forgive me, I forget all the proper anatomical names but it will have the head section, & the rest looks like a tiny white water balloon. It will also have tails. The post right above my previous one is a young bulb mite. The shape, smoothness, & tails give it away.
RA's don't have tails like that. It's more like a bump called a Cauda. It's only noticeable with really high resolution pics at super close up, & often you have to be at the right angle. They usually have a horizontal stripe pattern, which is what looks like is going on with your pic, & I don't see tails. If you were able to post those pics as thumbnails so we could enlarge them it might be easier.
But, I'm fairly certain it's just RA's. It's not bulb mites. RA's are a bitch to get rid of.
Personally, if I was inside & I had this problem...I would carefully take the plant & dispose of it. That's the last thing you want in your tent. Or spreading. They lay like 500 eggs in a very short lifespan.
Where are they feeding on the roots? Down low? Or higher up?
Mine also look exactly like the pic above
Here is a pic I snapped on a potato I left in my soil. Not very good but you can see those dam thingsThere are some that like to stay under the soil. I've had them many times outside. They also look a little different than the ones you will see above soil. They tend to be a bit more streamlined to maneuver through the soil. Less pointy, "softened edges." Which is why sometimes people confuse them with bulb mites.
Bulb mites are generally smoother looking, like a light bulb. Forgive me, I forget all the proper anatomical names but it will have the head section, & the rest looks like a tiny white water balloon. It will also have tails. The post right above my previous one is a young bulb mite. The shape, smoothness, & tails give it away.
RA's don't have tails like that. It's more like a bump called a Cauda. It's only noticeable with really high resolution pics at super close up, & often you have to be at the right angle. They usually have a horizontal stripe pattern, which is what looks like is going on with your pic, & I don't see tails. If you were able to post those pics as thumbnails so we could enlarge them it might be easier.
But, I'm fairly certain it's just RA's. It's not bulb mites. RA's are a bitch to get rid of.
Personally, if I was inside & I had this problem...I would carefully take the plant & dispose of it. That's the last thing you want in your tent. Or spreading. They lay like 500 eggs in a very short lifespan.
Where are they feeding on the roots? Down low? Or higher up?
Root aphids only live on the roots. Above ground all you'll see are flyers.I was thinking root aphids also but there are zero on the stems or leaves only in the soil. If you have time Google Bulb Mites that's what they look like to me. Would the aphids be on the leaves? And also how could I kill these things in organic soil. I already started over completely once and cleaned very well. I just can't keep doing that and at first everything was good for about 3 weeks then Bam they are back. Any suggestions would help.
Thanks!
These are my bugs on a potato. Not very good but you can see them a little
Haven't seen flyers yet. Do you think it is a good idea to take my house plant to my local university that is showing the same type of issues as my babies? The house plants also has the soil mites or whatever so if they are bad they can tell me for 20 bucks. Thanks!Root aphids only live on the roots. Above ground all you'll see are flyers.
Root aphids are damn near exactly like cabbage aphids. Cabbage aphids DESTROYED a good 30lbs of a specialty cauliflower crop I was growing for market. There are no organic treatments for cabbage aphids, only physical barriers are effective and we're talking about row covers, buried all the way around. These species of aphids have two major life stages, the aphid stage, which if I recollect is a juvenile stage, and the flyer stage, which are the adult, pregnant females. IIRC, there are other stages, let me do some searching. But, the point is that RAs do have a flyer stage, and that only occurs when the infestation has become more advanced. Which is, as it so happens, also about the time that a grower really notices there's a problem.But root aphids don't have the structure to develop wings. Even above the soil ones, once a colony is established, some of the younger ones, even with the structure, will not develop wings. They have everything they need.
RA's are strictly crawlers, & the theory is (I don't put much stock into this because it's constantly changing) that because they don't have wings to quickly flee from danger, they stay under ground, because their chances of survival are higher.
Who knows, maybe they are just not ambitious. But you have two classes of them. Flyers, & crawlers. In this case the crawlers are easier to get rid of.
Root aphids are damn near exactly like cabbage aphids. Cabbage aphids DESTROYED a good 30lbs of a specialty cauliflower crop I was growing for market. There are no organic treatments for cabbage aphids, only physical barriers are effective and we're talking about row covers, buried all the way around. These species of aphids have two major life stages, the aphid stage, which if I recollect is a juvenile stage, and the flyer stage, which are the adult, pregnant females. IIRC, there are other stages, let me do some searching. But, the point is that RAs do have a flyer stage, and that only occurs when the infestation has become more advanced. Which is, as it so happens, also about the time that a grower really notices there's a problem.
Now, this is specific to Phylloxera. There are many species of root aphid. There are RAs that affect conifers, RAs that affect beets, corn root aphids, and so on. I'm not sure, but I believe that all other species of aphids can have a winged form as well. Don't hold me to that though!
Haven't seen flyers yet. Do you think it is a good idea to take my house plant to my local university that is showing the same type of issues as my babies? The house plants also has the soil mites or whatever so if they are bad they can tell me for 20 bucks. Thanks!
Yes, exactly! There were so many pictographics when I searched simply on root aphids, that I had to choose just one, and interestingly enough, they all seem to go through very similar stages.From what I understand, & it's kind of in the picture, RA's (I am being extremely general here, there are tons if different types, you were being very specific) is that they will stay underground until they have exhausted a food source. They prefer to stay underground, so if they can move to another plant they will.
That's how I understand it as well. I use different terminology (UG forms hit 'plague' proportions, then the girls get going). But! That said, my very first experience with them was outside, my balcony, hempy perlite tubs (nothing imported via soil). I saw ants going in and out of the tubs, and within a couple of weeks began seeing what I thought were 'super fungus gnats.' Then, what called 'The Mystery Yellowing Event' that I couldn't bring anything back from. I basically had to be hit over the head with the idea of root aphids by a long gone poster here, and I felt terrible because I gave her a hard time, told her she had bugs in her eyes once.Anyway, I was under the impression that most will stay wingless, unless to survive, a female will develop wings to establish another colony. It is not understood exactly how. That colony, the way I have understood it, will now be above soil, but will also be wingless, until a food source is depleted again. At which point a female will develop wings & go establish a new village.
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