FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Generally, are fast moving visible bugs on vft usually beneficial to the plants (springtails, whirligig mites, etc.)? And conversely are slow or immobile bugs harmful pests (mealy bugs, spider mites, scale, etc.)? Also, I just learned that springtails come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors. Are all/most springtails considered to be beneficial for vft? TIA.

Firstly, insects such as springtails and mites are not beneficial to vfts. They are just too small/fast and don't activate the traps.
Secondly, all of those pests (mealy bugs, spider mites, scale) can damage a vft.
If you need more info, search the forum for "what to feed vfts" or "pests".

Edit: Sorry about the misunderstanding. If you meant by beneficial in other means (besides providing nutrients), I'm not really sure. Springtails don't exactly contribute much to the soil based on what I've seen. When you grow CPs, you usually find them stuck in sarr pitchers. Besides that, I agree that most (not all) pests are slow moving.

Firstly, Springtails can be beneficial by eating fungus/mold from the substrate. Their presence might be a sign that the medium is deteriorating, but they don’t eat living plant tissue and are otherwise harmless to the plant itself. Whirligig mites (they look like big red or brown spider mites) are incredibly beneficial to vft. I forget their scientific name, but Whirligigs are predator mites that eat aphids, spider mites, and other pests and cause no harm to vfts. They move incredibly fast and are often mistaken for spider mites (bad). Not all insects and mites are harmful to plants. For example Ladybugs and the aforementioned Whirligigs. I feel I need to repeat this because I’ve noticed growers are overusing pesticides/miticides; Not all bugs are harmful pests. Secondly, I’m asking if mobility speed can be a factor in visually determining if an insect or mite can be beneficial. I already know that mealybugs, scale, and spider mites are harmful. Having had these plants for several years, I am very familiar with spider mites. They are teeny red dots that can barely be seen by the naked eye and damage is often noticed before they themselves are. Why would I search for what to feed a vft? That has absolutely nothing to do with my questions.

Tl;dr: Upon quick visual inspection, can you determine if a tiny bug on a vft is harmless/beneficial based on size and speed of movement? Fast (Whirligig, Springtail, etc.) = harmless, Slow/Immobile (red spider mite, scale, etc.) = bad