Help! bugs in my dirt!

[papa canna]

So I just went upstairs to water, and in a couple of my pots I noticed an assload of bugs just crawling around my dirt. I try to be very careful about not walking through grass and going in my room, I usually even remove footware before going, and I sprayed some neem oil just a couple days ago preventatively. I didn't see any bugs on my leaves, I didn't witness any holes in my leaves, Nor webs on or under them. My mentor says it's likely knats, but im use to knats flying in a swarm, not running around my dirt..

 

[anzohaze]

are you organic, pics help a lot.

 

[sno capz]

Alien bugs

 

[papa canna]

Not organic, I use fox farm ocean forest. After looking at a pest identification sheet, they look an awful lot like these spider mites, but the mites i see are usually red/brown. these are white. I had to magnify at least 4x or up to 8x to see them well on the picture, but it always came out blurry as hell. nothing useful after like 10 pictures.

 

[sno capz]

You need a bigger magnifier...

 

[papa canna]

You need a bigger magnifier...

I can see what it is clearly. im 95% sure its spider mites, the 8x lets me see it just fine, but the picture never comes out well. Assuming we're talking spider mites, what can I do to get rid of them asap? I've heard ladybugs are good, I just sprayed what my friend recommended to me, neem oil mixed in water with a couple drops of dawn dish soap. I saw much less bugs after the spray, but im not sure if thats suppose to take time? Probably not a "kill on contact" type of thing

 

[Metasynth]

If they're only in your soil, and they're really really tiny, I suggest you google "Hypoaspis Miles"

 

[papa canna]

If they're only in your soil, and they're really really tiny, I suggest you google "Hypoaspis Miles"

Im not necessarily saying that they are ONLY in the soil, but thats the only place I could spot the little bastards. They are extremely small.

edit: holy shit I think you are right. I googled it, and I think this might actually be it. If its not spider mites, it is definitely these. but they look pretty similar. the only thing i can say between what i saw and what i found on google is that whatever is in my dirt is pure white. But is there a way to know for sure? these looks pretty close to spider mites

 

[Metasynth]

Did you google it?

 

[Metasynth]

 

[Metasynth]

If they stay in the soil/on the pot, and don't climb up on to the plant itself, good chance they ARE hypoaspis miles. They're a GOOD bug, and they eat fungus gnat larvae and other little critters that breed in the soil.

 

[sno capz]

See.... Alien bugs

 

[papa canna]

If they stay in the soil/on the pot, and don't climb up on to the plant itself, good chance they ARE hypoaspis miles. They're a GOOD bug, and they eat fungus gnat larvae and other little critters that breed in the soil.

they look exactly like that, except pure white. But spider mites also look similar. I will keep a very close eye on the leaves for chew holes and webs. But im leaning towards these. Im reading another thread about them on RIU right now. Someone said that if they dont have prey bugs to eat they will start to eat the plants. Wouldnt you rather have no bugs at all?

 

[papa canna]

I know its not a great pic, but i had to de-magnify in order to take a clear picture, sorry guys this is the best i could do.

edit: I found one or two on a leaf near the bottom of the plant, compared to the shitload that are in the soil / crawling around the pot.

 

[Metasynth]

Looks like hypoaspis miles to me.

 

[papa canna]

Looks like hypoaspis miles to me.

I took it to my favorite hydro shop, and the guy tells me that he isn't sure what they are, but he thinks they are too big to be spider mites.

 

[BarnBuster]

meta knows what he's talking about

 

[Metasynth]

If they look just like the pic, and they're tiny and white, and mostly in the soil and not really on the plant, my bet is Hypoaspis Miles.

 

[papa canna]

If they look just like the pic, and they're tiny and white, and mostly in the soil and not really on the plant, my bet is Hypoaspis Miles.

I checked the leaves on the plant that had the most infested soil. I only saw maybe one or two on some leafs near the bottoms (bottom leaves are where I should be looking right?) but I didn't see anything on my bigger leaves near the middle or top. Another friend of mine said cayenne added to some water should send em packin,

 

[Metasynth]

Google it, and read. That's what I did when I had them.