Wierd Bugs Cannot get a pick :-(

Hey guys and gals this has been driving me crazy for weeks... My last batch of girls had a ton of bugs and killed off my babies - Maybe I think it was actually heat and overwatering, anyway I thoroughly cleaned everything sterilized the room. It's completely air tight and sealed no bugs everything good in there. But I saved some of the soil to keep an active colony and pest strips I on keep on top of my soil so I could figure out what these things are.

They are too small for me to get a pic of them if anyone has any suggestions I will try to get a pic. They are everywhere 100s per cubic foot of soil.

So you need 100x at least to see these things they are almost invisible to the naked eye and at 30-60x you can't distinguish anything other then the antenna's.

Some are clear and some are black. They look like a worm with legs and antennas so here goes my best description.


At 200-400x they are clear and black I'm assuming different stages in their life. The clear ones DO NOT have any legs just two antenna. The Black ones have 6 legs and 2 antenna. The black ones are also slightly larger, hence why I think they are the older of the two... Anyway they have a segmented body with 4-8 segments depending on the size. I've searched high and low for pics of these things and cannot figure out wtf they are. I know they are not larvae as once they hit the black stage they die within a few days.

They are really fast I think they are predatory but once again I can't tell. I have been maintaining a colony of them and letting them reproduce also in a seal environment... LoL I planted tomato's and put them in the dirt to keep them recycling them selves. They don't seen to bother the tomato's but they fucked my herb up real good so once again I'm confused.


I would really like to get a picture of these to show everyone so if anyone has any realistic ideas on how I can get a pick I would be grateful and post them. I've tried everything to get a pic they always come out blurry or run out of the way of my scope before I can get a shot.


I have ruled out the following
Mite's - they do not look like any mite I have ever seen and die prior to getting to the buggy stage in life - Cannot be a mite I don't think
Gnat's - They do not fly see above they die in the black stage of life. Also they do not have seen to have a head..
Nematodes - They don't look like anything that I have seen before but could be.
Caterpillars - 1. They don't look like a caterpillar and 2. If they were caterpillar's I'm sure they would have effected my test tomato plant. No damage it's growing fine.

Pest control. - They are not killed by any of the following even in a soaking
Pyrethrin
Neem Oil concentrate - not mixed with water
Insect killers - tried several


Ok so Let me know what you guys think please and any ideas on how I can get a pic of this little fuckers. At this point it's just a curiousity

Thanks

Thrips maybe? But then you said the clear ones don't have any legs...


I hope you figure it out soon...Pests suck!

Symphilids? check google images

They don't look like Thrips I've had them before and they don't jump. Just crawl around in the dirt.

Ok I jumped to a conclusion to fast they do kinda look like Symphilids

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=283444

They look kinda like the ones in these pic's but not exactly. They turn black then die a few days after this stage.. The dead ones are everywhere.

There are no bugs/pests on any part of the plants in my test colony. If this helps.

I thought they were fungus gnats at first but they are too small and don't look like any fungus gnat larvae I've every seen.

I just pulled them out of the pots to check the bottom theres nothing in the lower soil but there were dozens in my water catch tray.

I think they are benificial but still don't want to have to deal with them again. I'm trying to get a pick but they run out of view before I can catch them lol

Ok I'm an idiot... they are Springtails. Coho Thanks for suggesting Symphilids... I would have never even though about Springtails if I didn't find that other look. I really really stupid right now +Rep for both of you for your help. Much apreaciated.

They say they don't hurt ya but they are messy.

Same answers I had. Also read that springtails could be in the house so even if you get them out of the soil they could come back. Read that on the orkin pest site.

Warlock1369 said:

Same answers I had. Also read that springtails could be in the house so even if you get them out of the soil they could come back. Read that on the orkin pest site.

Click to expand...

Yea was just looking there in all our house plants... well dunno how to get rid of them nothing I have tried has killed them. When I get a grow going again will they hurt my girls?

From what I've read in them. No they won't hurt. It's more of a pest to you. And if you think about it in nature all bugs are good for something. Eat bad bugs, eat rotted roots , or food for good bugs.

Man I hate when things are right under your nose and you miss it... lol well guess I can get rid of my colony now as I have plenty of samples lol...