Help me identify this bug please (with pic)

TatiEva · Fri May 06, 2016 9:06 pm

I am growing indoor herbs. Parsley, basil, and sage. Today I noticed A LOT of tiny white bugs in the soil. My herbs don't look messed. I took the closest picture I could.
From research I think they're aphids maybe???
I tried a mix of garlic and cayenne pepper and sprayed. Is there any other way to get rid of these things???

Thanks in advance!

applestar · Fri May 06, 2016 9:56 pm

It doesn't look like an aphid. Maybe a mite. But if small/tiny and white, springtails are the usual soil denizens. Do they swarm and jump around?

TatiEva · Fri May 06, 2016 10:22 pm

applestar wrote:It doesn't look like an aphid. Maybe a mite. But if small/tiny and white, springtails are the usual soil denizens. Do they swarm and jump around?

I didn't notice any jumping. There are quite a lot! And they don't seem to be on the plants just the soil. Even when I sprayed the mixture they didn't jump. They just crawl pretty fast.
I looked up springtails and they seem too long. The bugs in my soil are more short bodied, like an oval.

applestar · Fri May 06, 2016 10:32 pm

Can you see if they have eight legs? That would confirm they are mites Some kind of soil mite? Some of them could be beneficial.

TatiEva · Fri May 06, 2016 10:41 pm

It's really hard for me to tell, the little suckers move so quickly.
This is the clearest picture I could get. It seems either 6 or 8 legs.

TatiEva · Mon May 09, 2016 3:06 pm

Anyone else?? They don't seem to be there when the soil is dry.

Lindsaylew82 · Mon May 09, 2016 3:57 pm

I think they are mites. And they're probably harmless. It's when you find them on your plants that there may be an issue, but them being in the soil makes me think that they're just some type of predatory or soil mite. They likely go deeper as the soil dries.

imafan26 · Mon May 09, 2016 8:40 pm

It is hard to tell but it could be a soil mite. Oribatid mites live in decaying soil matter. if you are usuing compost in your mix, it may be eating the decomposing stuff. Drop a few in a small container of alcohol to kill them and then use a hand lens to examine them. There are different species but mites are spiders so they have 8 legs. True bugs have six legs and a sucking mouth part.