My clones are infested - Neem?

a friend picked up a couple clones for me yesterday, Sensi Star and Shishkaberry. They are totally infested with bugs. Definitely spider mites, and I think aphids/root aphids. The dirt is crawling with bugs, my little isolation box was covered with them. I'm already planning on carefully cleaning all the old dirt off the roots and replacing with my soilless mix when I transplant today so hopefully I can get rid of the critters in the soil. Can I use neem on the roots if there are bugs there? Or do I just drown the little monsters during transplant? I can put them in a hempy bucket instead of the soilless mix if that will help to rid/prevent future problems with the bugs on the roots. Any suggestions?

rotate three insecticides/repellents on 3-5 day cycles... ie. 1. a Fogger and insecticide killer, 2. an insecticide "strip" (not the sticky fly kind) that emanates a killer vapour. 3. Neem oil, massage it on the leaves or use a soft sponge and sponge the underneath, hell the whole fucking plant if you have that muc of an infestation. After 10 days, had you done this, these biatches will be gone. I've had 4 grows with spider mites coming up during veg and got rid of them all within 14 days.

when i get bugs i water with neem oil normaly 3 times and im good i spray leaves everyday for a week and then wash all spray off after i know my critters are dead. i also use a small container filled with apple vinager and water they seem to be atracted to this GOOD LUCK

Do they look like ticks? If so theyre Aphids, I would toss them and grow from seed or better clone source.