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

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firemanelaflare

firemanelaflare

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Yeah its pricey, if i was much bigger it would be debilitating. There is an identical product floating around alibaba, (apparently an identical label to the older cap bennie label) being sold in a certain store in northern california for a little cheaper. ill say no more
Yeah imma get the met from botainigard my homie just beat aphids recently I'm gonna start using og biowar because i think it has more benes than just the aphid eaters but as of now I need those fuckers dead
 
TTOMO

TTOMO

1
3
Grateful to see this thread is still active as it has some of the cleanest photos of pests on google!

I've been trying to deal with a possible pest/beneficial and I'm still not sure what I have after going through this thread (as well as 7 weeks of internet searches and a few visits to the local hydro. I know I have fungus gnats but can't determine if these other things are beneficial or not. The local store said they looked like root aphids, but they look closer to mites to me, they just seem so much more hairy than most of the pics I can find and I'm not positive on the leg count although it looks like 8 there are smaller ones of the same shape.

I initially discovered them on a leaf in mid veg, but after an initial treatment of Nuke Em, I never saw them on the plant parts again. I also introduced Z7 to my regular watering and from this point they were discovered on the outside of my grow pots and seem to collect in the water trays underneath which is the source of the pictures. I've also used SNS 203 and Monterey Takedown Garden Spray all with seemingly instant kill results with the population being slowed down but not eliminated I believe due to them being in the soil and all the treatments I've done are sprays.

I also included a picture of the pistils browning prematurely (imo) that might be due to these issues. I'm in week 5 of flower and can't find some of the sources I've been reading that led me to think this.

Veganic NYCD in 100% coco
 
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firemanelaflare

firemanelaflare

98
33
Grateful to see this thread is still active as it has some of the cleanest photos of pests on google!

I've been trying to deal with a possible pest/beneficial and I'm still not sure what I have after going through this thread (as well as 7 weeks of internet searches and a few visits to the local hydro. I know I have fungus gnats but can't determine if these other things are beneficial or not. The local store said they looked like root aphids, but they look closer to mites to me, they just seem so much more hairy than most of the pics I can find and I'm not positive on the leg count although it looks like 8 there are smaller ones of the same shape.

I initially discovered them on a leaf in mid veg, but after an initial treatment of Nuke Em, I never saw them on the plant parts again. I also introduced Z7 to my regular watering and from this point they were discovered on the outside of my grow pots and seem to collect in the water trays underneath which is the source of the pictures. I've also used SNS 203 and Monterey Takedown Garden Spray all with seemingly instant kill results with the population being slowed down but not eliminated I believe due to them being in the soil and all the treatments I've done are sprays.

I also included a picture of the pistils browning prematurely (imo) that might be due to these issues. I'm in week 5 of flower and can't find some of the sources I've been reading that led me to think this.

Veganic NYCD in 100% coco
All I can say is check your root ball I've never seen the leaf variation of aphids mine hung out at the roots and fucked me out of 75 percent of a crop buy some bio war or botainigard and go to war
 
Sunbaked

Sunbaked

800
243
lost 3 of 12 plants last year. I'm at war this year. got a quart of concentrated pyrethrums and granules already down .ladybugs could not keep up . got to treat the ground .
 
firemanelaflare

firemanelaflare

98
33
lost 3 of 12 plants last year. I'm at war this year. got a quart of concentrated pyrethrums and granules already down .ladybugs could not keep up . got to treat the ground .
You may have to go nuclear merit 75 after that og biowar at full strength
 
C

Chamitch

23
3
I am sure mentioned but for fungus gnats. Some diatomacious earth helps dry out the top and they dont like laying in that. Or 2 parts water 1 part household 3% peroxide enough soak top couple inches will kill larvae. Also have to wait a day after peroxide but breaking up mosquito dunk bacteria based thuragensis spp that kills off larvae aswell. Can break up into water or break up right over soil but i feel better coverage in the water mix.
 
H

Henny2319

44
18
Hey guys sorry for replying on this thread. Am just in a bit of a rush trying to figure out this bug problem and dont have time to post proper. So hopefully you guys dont mind giving me some suggestions.
So a buddy of mine is growing ourdoors and tried to clone his plants in a dome. He got little white bugs crawling all over in about a week. So i gave it a try to see if i would have better luck. Inspected the clones really really good and still got the bugs again. Dont havr great photos but hopefully might know from its shape. Its for sure seeable with the naked eye.
 
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MeanGreen420

MeanGreen420

628
93
Anyone seen these I can't seem to find them on insect identification Web site. Almost like a small beetle. They like my light. They have wings under there beetle back.
 
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OldSmokie76

OldSmokie76

1,110
263
Not a great video, but you can see a couple little buggers scurrying about. I have fungus gnats which are managed with yellow stickies with an application of nematodes in the near future. These little guys in the soil are very close to white but a little grey. I can't make out any defining characteristics without mag lense. Next investment. Not overrun, but a dozen or more in a few of the starter pots I just repotted. Hoping for silvertail, but not sure yet. Anybody's insight welcome.
 
View attachment VID_20190111_193128620.mp4
T

TwotightMike

1
1
98317484 6079 4E54 982A 4CFA2260AD3F
Hey everybody! Hope this helps ID problems with some common garden pests and critters.

Root Aphids (Aphidoidea)

"Root Aphid" is a broad term describing an unknown number of species of aphids that can attack crop roots. They are most commonly seen outdoors, where they feed on leaves of plants and overwinter either as a dormant egg or as a colony feeding on stored sugars/starches in plant roots. Indoors they are common pests due to the concentration of sugars, amino acids, and nutrients in the roots. Aphid eggs are sought after by some species of ants, who will nurture a colony of aphids to feed on their sugar and nutrient rich excrement. A common misunderstanding is the referencing of Root Aphids to phylloxera, which is another family of insects that is very similar to aphids but lacks the telltale "tailpipes" and "honeydew" discharge that distinguishes aphids.

here are some pictures of root aphids in their winged or "flier" form

View attachment 301449View attachment 301452
you can see by these images that the winged aphid holds it's wings parallel and vertical, at the sides of it's body. It's head is similar sized to the rest of the body, and it's abdomen is either green, yellow, brown/red, or black depending on diet. It's legs are also all of a similar size (male aphids can have quite long legs, however). Immature aphids can also be seen in the bottom picture.

"crawler" form:

View attachment 301448
Notice the "tailpipes" (cornicles) on the abdomen of the aphid. These protect it when it feels threatened by producing a hard, waxlike substance that coats the aphid's exterior. This aphid was unique in that it displayed many of the common colors of root aphids. Depending on what they feed on and their maturity aphids can be any shade of either yellow, green, or red, and occasionally black/brown.

an example of aphid colonization/infestation

View attachment 301447

View attachment 301446





Fungus Gnats (Mycetophiloidea)

Fungus gnats are generally obnoxious because they get stuck in flowers in large numbers. Since their larva eat decaying matter, a growing population of fungus gnats generally indicates either over-watered plants/over saturated media, or an unhealthy root mass. Females will travel from pot to pot looking for optimum conditions to lay eggs. Females lay eggs in the top 2-3 inches of soil and can lay up to 200 in her 10 day life. Both the eggs and the larvae are very cold resistant, but cannot survive without a moist environment. It is recommended to let the top 2-3 inches of soil dry out between waterings in most media to avoid fungus gnats, especially late in flower.

Fungus Gnat flier:

View attachment 301450

View attachment 301451
You can see that fungus gnats have three definitive body segments, very long legs, and wings that overlap and fold flat over it's abdomen. They are generally much larger than winged root aphids.

Fungus Gnat larvae

View attachment 301453View attachment 301454 The brown inside this guy is whatever he's been eating...probably roots as this picture was taken very late in flush. Normally they are clear like the section directly before his head. You can see his black head as well as his body segments, very similar to a caterpillar or inchworm.


And last but not least, a beneficial insect, the springtail

View attachment 301444

these guys resemble thrips, but are very small, clear, and can dart away quite quickly. Usually found in the runoff of pots after watering, having a springtail population isn't something to worry about. It is a sign that the soil biosphere (the rhizosphere) is balanced and in check. Springtails are known to eat spores and mycelia of pathogenic fungi that can cause damping off, as well as carry mycorhizzal fungi to root hosts, and control other forms of microlife that become imbalanced or disrupt the rhizosphere. Springtails are estimated to have some of the highest populations of any animals on earth, and play an important role in soil conditioning.
View attachment 301445
Springtails are nice to eachother, they know what's up. They're you're friends, too!


That's all for now folks, thanks for lookin!
Hey everybody! Hope this helps ID problems with some common garden pests and critters.

Root Aphids (Aphidoidea)

"Root Aphid" is a broad term describing an unknown number of species of aphids that can attack crop roots. They are most commonly seen outdoors, where they feed on leaves of plants and overwinter either as a dormant egg or as a colony feeding on stored sugars/starches in plant roots. Indoors they are common pests due to the concentration of sugars, amino acids, and nutrients in the roots. Aphid eggs are sought after by some species of ants, who will nurture a colony of aphids to feed on their sugar and nutrient rich excrement. A common misunderstanding is the referencing of Root Aphids to phylloxera, which is another family of insects that is very similar to aphids but lacks the telltale "tailpipes" and "honeydew" discharge that distinguishes aphids.

here are some pictures of root aphids in their winged or "flier" form

View attachment 301449View attachment 301452
you can see by these images that the winged aphid holds it's wings parallel and vertical, at the sides of it's body. It's head is similar sized to the rest of the body, and it's abdomen is either green, yellow, brown/red, or black depending on diet. It's legs are also all of a similar size (male aphids can have quite long legs, however). Immature aphids can also be seen in the bottom picture.

"crawler" form:

View attachment 301448
Notice the "tailpipes" (cornicles) on the abdomen of the aphid. These protect it when it feels threatened by producing a hard, waxlike substance that coats the aphid's exterior. This aphid was unique in that it displayed many of the common colors of root aphids. Depending on what they feed on and their maturity aphids can be any shade of either yellow, green, or red, and occasionally black/brown.

an example of aphid colonization/infestation

View attachment 301447

View attachment 301446





Fungus Gnats (Mycetophiloidea)

Fungus gnats are generally obnoxious because they get stuck in flowers in large numbers. Since their larva eat decaying matter, a growing population of fungus gnats generally indicates either over-watered plants/over saturated media, or an unhealthy root mass. Females will travel from pot to pot looking for optimum conditions to lay eggs. Females lay eggs in the top 2-3 inches of soil and can lay up to 200 in her 10 day life. Both the eggs and the larvae are very cold resistant, but cannot survive without a moist environment. It is recommended to let the top 2-3 inches of soil dry out between waterings in most media to avoid fungus gnats, especially late in flower.

Fungus Gnat flier:

View attachment 301450

View attachment 301451
You can see that fungus gnats have three definitive body segments, very long legs, and wings that overlap and fold flat over it's abdomen. They are generally much larger than winged root aphids.

Fungus Gnat larvae

View attachment 301453View attachment 301454 The brown inside this guy is whatever he's been eating...probably roots as this picture was taken very late in flush. Normally they are clear like the section directly before his head. You can see his black head as well as his body segments, very similar to a caterpillar or inchworm.


And last but not least, a beneficial insect, the springtail

View attachment 301444

these guys resemble thrips, but are very small, clear, and can dart away quite quickly. Usually found in the runoff of pots after watering, having a springtail population isn't something to worry about. It is a sign that the soil biosphere (the rhizosphere) is balanced and in check. Springtails are known to eat spores and mycelia of pathogenic fungi that can cause damping off, as well as carry mycorhizzal fungi to root hosts, and control other forms of microlife that become imbalanced or disrupt the rhizosphere. Springtails are estimated to have some of the highest populations of any animals on earth, and play an important role in soil conditioning.
View attachment 301445
Springtails are nice to eachother, they know what's up. They're you're friends, too!


That's all for now folks, thanks for lookin!
sweet pics thanks man!
Hey everybody! Hope this helps ID problems with some common garden pests and critters.

Root Aphids (Aphidoidea)

"Root Aphid" is a broad term describing an unknown number of species of aphids that can attack crop roots. They are most commonly seen outdoors, where they feed on leaves of plants and overwinter either as a dormant egg or as a colony feeding on stored sugars/starches in plant roots. Indoors they are common pests due to the concentration of sugars, amino acids, and nutrients in the roots. Aphid eggs are sought after by some species of ants, who will nurture a colony of aphids to feed on their sugar and nutrient rich excrement. A common misunderstanding is the referencing of Root Aphids to phylloxera, which is another family of insects that is very similar to aphids but lacks the telltale "tailpipes" and "honeydew" discharge that distinguishes aphids.

here are some pictures of root aphids in their winged or "flier" form

View attachment 301449View attachment 301452
you can see by these images that the winged aphid holds it's wings parallel and vertical, at the sides of it's body. It's head is similar sized to the rest of the body, and it's abdomen is either green, yellow, brown/red, or black depending on diet. It's legs are also all of a similar size (male aphids can have quite long legs, however). Immature aphids can also be seen in the bottom picture.

"crawler" form:

View attachment 301448
Notice the "tailpipes" (cornicles) on the abdomen of the aphid. These protect it when it feels threatened by producing a hard, waxlike substance that coats the aphid's exterior. This aphid was unique in that it displayed many of the common colors of root aphids. Depending on what they feed on and their maturity aphids can be any shade of either yellow, green, or red, and occasionally black/brown.

an example of aphid colonization/infestation

View attachment 301447

View attachment 301446





Fungus Gnats (Mycetophiloidea)

Fungus gnats are generally obnoxious because they get stuck in flowers in large numbers. Since their larva eat decaying matter, a growing population of fungus gnats generally indicates either over-watered plants/over saturated media, or an unhealthy root mass. Females will travel from pot to pot looking for optimum conditions to lay eggs. Females lay eggs in the top 2-3 inches of soil and can lay up to 200 in her 10 day life. Both the eggs and the larvae are very cold resistant, but cannot survive without a moist environment. It is recommended to let the top 2-3 inches of soil dry out between waterings in most media to avoid fungus gnats, especially late in flower.

Fungus Gnat flier:

View attachment 301450

View attachment 301451
You can see that fungus gnats have three definitive body segments, very long legs, and wings that overlap and fold flat over it's abdomen. They are generally much larger than winged root aphids.

Fungus Gnat larvae

View attachment 301453View attachment 301454 The brown inside this guy is whatever he's been eating...probably roots as this picture was taken very late in flush. Normally they are clear like the section directly before his head. You can see his black head as well as his body segments, very similar to a caterpillar or inchworm.


And last but not least, a beneficial insect, the springtail

View attachment 301444

these guys resemble thrips, but are very small, clear, and can dart away quite quickly. Usually found in the runoff of pots after watering, having a springtail population isn't something to worry about. It is a sign that the soil biosphere (the rhizosphere) is balanced and in check. Springtails are known to eat spores and mycelia of pathogenic fungi that can cause damping off, as well as carry mycorhizzal fungi to root hosts, and control other forms of microlife that become imbalanced or disrupt the rhizosphere. Springtails are estimated to have some of the highest populations of any animals on earth, and play an important role in soil conditioning.
View attachment 301445
Springtails are nice to eachother, they know what's up. They're you're friends, too!


That's all for now folks, thanks for lookin!
Ok I’m new on here and even worse with tech but here goes. I get these last critters about 4-5weeks into flower. I find them in my res and controler. I hope this picture comes through. This is from older media I wanted to rinse for my out door garden. This is what floated to the top.
 
Stockbull

Stockbull

28
13
Great info and well put together.
I have been wondering what them little guys that dart around were.
Recently took a peak at runoff under magnification and got photos similar to yours with the fungus gnat larvae. Cool to be observing the soil and really cool to know the Springtail are beneficial as they seem to have a fairly stable population as the gnat larvae becomes somewhat under control.
Just one more reason why one should make habit in collecting runoff for observation as well as PH and nute verifications.
20181229 004438
 
Dirtbag

Dirtbag

Supporter
9,158
313
Not a great video, but you can see a couple little buggers scurrying about. I have fungus gnats which are managed with yellow stickies with an application of nematodes in the near future. These little guys in the soil are very close to white but a little grey. I can't make out any defining characteristics without mag lense. Next investment. Not overrun, but a dozen or more in a few of the starter pots I just repotted. Hoping for silvertail, but not sure yet. Anybody's insight welcome.
Looks like springtails. Do they jump if you try to grab them?
 
Dirtbag

Dirtbag

Supporter
9,158
313
View attachment 851349



Ok I’m new on here and even worse with tech but here goes. I get these last critters about 4-5weeks into flower. I find them in my res and controler. I hope this picture comes through. This is from older media I wanted to rinse for my out door garden. This is what floated to the top.

Really hard to say from that pic, do you have a loupe to take a closer pic through?
Could be a few things, fungus gnat larvae, springtails,.. Do you have yellow sticky traps up? Any flying insects?
 
Stockbull

Stockbull

28
13
The worm looking thing with the black dot is a fungus gnat larvae. To the left of it a bit are like 3 more tiny ones fighting over a meal it looks like.

The springtail are little white specs at the water surface. I did not zero in on any for a photo
They dart around in the water. Maybe half a mm in length.
 
Stockbull

Stockbull

28
13
I've got sticky strips up.
Population dwindled down after letting the sunshine mix dry out at surface (bit too much as I'm chasing away some yellowing leaves on a plant now)
Also slapped an oscillating fan at floor blowing right across the top of pots under the canopy to keep er windy and deter the gnats. Used to be sweeping up dead gnats off the floor every day....now there are none. Just a few outside the tents in starter domes I've to chase down now
 
Stockbull

Stockbull

28
13
Video shows the big fungus gnat larvae squirming around and the 3 tiny ones fighting over scraps at the bottom of the tray in collected runoff.
You may notice a little white guy wiggling back and forth right above/over top the larvae.
It's not chewing on the larvae. Its actually at surface and would be the springtail. Only thing I can think it is due to its behavior and description as well as size and appearance. They are ghost white and look like they have little antenna on their heads.View attachment 20181229_004812.mp4
 

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