FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

[Rudy1776]

Howdy everyone! So I have some flytrap seedlings that have been doing very well but I have noticed that the soil they are in is literally infested with this tiny odd bug that I can’t ID. I don't use the term infested lightly, there are tons in the soil. These are my first ever CP seedlings so I’d hate to lose them. Photos are attached below!

I have grown them outside on my balcony since germination. They are inside an upcycled water bottle base currently. The soil was from a Lowes rescue death cube, I used the soil that was packaged for my seedlings since the plant was dead. I assumed it was a peat moss and I added some perlite.

What can I do to treat this? I tossed some mosquito dunks in the water tray a few days ago, nothing yet. I do have some Bayer 3-1 handy but was not sure if that’s safe for seedlings. Thanks!






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[sanguinearocks101]

Maybe springtails?

[Rudy1776]

Maybe springtails?

I can’t quite confirm but I’ll trust the more experiences judgement of you fine folks!

If so, what course of action should I take considering my details above?
I’ll try to add a few more clear photos.


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[Rudy1776]

Here are two new photos I just took that are a lot more clear.





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[Adriana]

They do look like springtails to me. They get their name from their ability to pop into the air, so just take a pencil point and nudge it and see if it springs up. If so, then ID confirmed.

They eat mold/algae on the soil. Some pot growers and terrarium enthusiasts actually buy them because they aren't harmful and they're good cleaners. You could maybe add an Utric to catch larvae (I have no idea what Utric you'd need for bladder size vs tiny larvae).

In houseplants, you can dust the top of dry potting medium with diatomaceous earth but for CPs, the medium stays too wet for DE to work. If they gross you out, I'd take out of the pot, rinse the roots well, and re-pot in clean medium.

[Apollyon]

I also had a bunch of pests show up a couple of weeks ago. I never ID'd mine because my sundew sprouts made some short work of them and got a nice boost out of it. I also ended up putting a couple pings next to their pots. Next couple days I'm seeing tons of black spots on the leaves lol.

Neem Oil may be an option. I've heard a lot of people use it with good results. I actually sprayed a couple of my sundews today with a 2tbsp/gallon mixture because I saw what looked to be aphids along it's leaves. Going to see how that turns out.

[Rudy1776]

They do look like springtails to me. They get their name from their ability to pop into the air, so just take a pencil point and nudge it and see if it springs up. If so, then ID confirmed.

They eat mold/algae on the soil. Some pot growers and terrarium enthusiasts actually buy them because they aren't harmful and they're good cleaners. You could maybe add an Utric to catch larvae (I have no idea what Utric you'd need for bladder size vs tiny larvae).

In houseplants, you can dust the top of dry potting medium with diatomaceous earth but for CPs, the medium stays too wet for DE to work. If they gross you out, I'd take out of the pot, rinse the roots well, and re-pot in clean medium.

Well, I can confirm that they are springtails indeed! I started to blow on the pot and then use a toothpick to mess with them and they jump around! At this point, no damage to the plants so I will leave them be. I have read, though to unclear conclusions, that springtails can be harmful to the roots of tiny seedlings like these - but mine seem okay for now.