Help identifying these bugs - Aphids? Springtails?

  • Thread starter chranotik
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chranotik

201
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Help identifying these bugs   aphids springtails


I've been having these bugs show up periodically in the soil, usually i see them under the pots and they'll start moving away after i lift the pots up. I have my clones in cups right now and some of them are showing signs of stress like slightly wavy leaves and some leaves end up bleaching and completely dying off which indicates to me stress being caused to me in the roots. Some plants seem to not be bothered at all or the bugs dont even really bother them too much. I've been feeding them caps bennies tea and after feeding today i checked on them and in one of the cups i saw a bunch of these bugs walking around the top sides of the cup and along the top of the soil as if they either got pulled out from the rootzone or are really thriving from the tea. I've studied them looking at how they look in the different age periods and i noticed some of them seem to kind of hop away which seems a lot of the descriptions of various springtails. I know springtails are supposed to be beneficial but if these are indeed springtails they don't seem all that beneficial as they seem to be eating or bothering the roots. I tried to take about 20-25 pics and zooming in with macro to get a good image but this is the best one out of all of them and then the battery died. If anyone can identify this bug or give me any advice on it i'd greatly appreciate it. I plan on trying to take a video to show them better once the battery is done charging.
 
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chranotik

201
18
I've looked at my pics of various aphids and these bugs are more oval shaped as root aphids seem to have a rounder plump abdomen. Doing some searching right now i came up with similar pictures of the bugs i think i have. Although i'm not 100% certain. And people are calling these springtails..

Springtails


springtails_john.jpg
 
urban1026835

urban1026835

702
143
I was just taking a guess from the 1st pic. If you have a better scope try your best to get a more clear pic. and please don't take my guess with any more weight then that a guess. One of the outdoor guys who knows their bugs will chime in
 
MakinGoo

MakinGoo

11,029
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They kinda look like springtails.. & u said they jump so I think springtails. . Around here we get them in every bag of soil or coco.. they never seem 2 die or harm my plants.. ive heard u dont want them 2 take over tho.
 
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chranotik

201
18
Yeah im fairly certain they are springtails even though i've only seen them jump when i find them under a pot and i try to squash them with a finger. But their population is getting pretty large in one of my cups, that's why i'm concerned. Not to mention i had popped 4 seeds, and 3 are looking fine, but the 4th they must've' ate the root because it wilted right after its first pair of leaves and when i picked that cup up i saw them moving around in it like the cup i was taking pictures of. Here's a pic of how my cuts and 3 seedlings look at the moment. Notice how theres some twisted wavy leaf growth? Seems my wifi cuts are stressed tot he point they are showing a lot of preflowers and most went down to single blade leaves. I've never had that happen to them but im switching to 24 hour light just in case they're confused from 18/6 for any reason, but i think it's root stress more than anything. Maybe i should try hitting them with some azamax to reduce the population, and put some diatomaceous earth under the cups or on top of the soil to ensure they die after i drench? I've had these bugs for a while and last harvest i had 3 plants' rootzones die right around harvest and when i pulled them out of the soil there was like no rootzone left holding the plant into the soil. Anyway here's how they look at the moment:

DSCN4472
 
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