Help! Tiny bugs found running under the base of new plants

sungirl · Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:45 pm

I just purchased some plants - and noticed when I picked up some of the containers tiny tiny bugs run all over the place. I think these might be mites but I am not sure. I am worried they will get into all the other plants I have on my small deck.

Thank-you for your advice.

Jess · Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:34 pm

Hi sungirl

I don't think you need to worry. If they are what I think they are (but I don't know what they are called

) They are not after the plants but like the moisture under the pots and live on fungus and decaying plant matter. Are they really tiny and pale/white looking and move quite fast?
If so I am right. If not I found this site
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in030
may be you can identify from there wether they are a pest or not

sungirl · Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:34 pm

Yes they are as you describe them. I have seen them before. Very tiny - although I thought they might be babies - but maybe not. They dart to and fro when the container is lifted. I think they came from the soil. They were not visible on the plants. Are they harmless?

Jess · Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:15 pm

sungirl · Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:41 pm

Thanks - What a relief!!!

Gnome · Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:20 am

Sungirl,

I think you should put a little more effort into identifying the pests. Not to put words in Jess' mouth but perhaps she is referring to sow bugs or pill bugs. Use google to find some pictures and verify this.

Norm

sungirl · Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:32 am

Norm, thanks for your concern.

I checked both the sow bug and pill bug and neither is the type of bugs I found under the containers. Since I didn't post a pic I could be mistaken but my instinct was that Jess was right about this.
This isn't the first time I have seen them. Last year, I received a plant and found the same bugs. I thought they might be mites when I first saw them.

Thanks for all your help!