FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Last night I was watering my VFTs and discovered these tiny white greyish bugs were crawling around the media. Is not a lot but enough that I was able to see with a flashlight, and they also don't look like springtails. The media is 60:40 sphagnum moss and perlite. I also have a nepenthes and knock on wood, I hadn't seen anything in its media. They are grown at my east bay window were they are getting 8+ hours of sunlight and are taken outside when weather is good for them. Air quality is fine, and humidity levels stay at around 40 to 60%. But the sphagnum moss does have algae on the top and I hadn't gotten around to removing it since my VFTS are growing fine and it's not a lot.

Is anyone able to tell me what kind of bugs they are, will they harm my VFTs, and is there any pesticides that'll kill the bugs but not harm my VFTs? I was looking in this forum already before posting this but I didn't see much recommendations for a pesticide.

Well, do they look beetle-ish or worm-ish?
Beetle-ish, probably springtails (poke one with a toothpick to see if it jumps). If not springtails, they're probably harmless if you don't see damage.
Worm-ish, probably fungus gnat larvae. Hang a piece of yellow plastic smeared with vaseline to attract and trap the adults. Or, my preferred approach, get more carnivorous plants (pings or dews) to catch the adults before they lay eggs.

ChefDean wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:13 pm Well, do they look beetle-ish or worm-ish?
Beetle-ish, probably springtails (poke one with a toothpick to see if it jumps). If not springtails, they're probably harmless if you don't see damage.
Worm-ish, probably fungus gnat larvae. Hang a piece of yellow plastic smeared with vaseline to attract and trap the adults. Or, my preferred approach, get more carnivorous plants (pings or dews) to catch the adults before they lay eggs.

It's really hard to tell. They don't look worm-ish and after googling what a fungus gnat larvae looks, it's definitely not them. These bugs I could consider beetle-ish because they are crawling and going around the media like an average bug. And when I was poking them with the toothpick, I see they weren't jumping. And yes, I don't see any damage to my VFTs and they are growing so well with no problems since I gotten them this April.

Rn I don't have the room to own a ping or sundew, plus idk much about their care. By within a year or so I do see me getting a sundew.

I wouldn't worry about them. Keep an eye on the plants for signs of damage, and respond then.

a picture is worth a thousand words.