Are these bugs ok?

FamMan

Well-Known Member
Hey peeps. So I was digging in the top layer of some soil and noticed the soil was moving! When I looked closer I noticed small white worm like bugs throughout the top layer. Looked like tentacles growing out the soil. I have seen springtails and others like within soil before but never like these. So can someone please lmk if these are good. Seems to be in all the pots. Thanx for any help. Happy growing
 

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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
My guess is you've got some larvae going on. They probably transform into something else.

The fungus gnat larvae seen here look kind of similar to me. But, I'm not sure:

 
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KiwiDom

Well-Known Member
Look like fungus gnat larvae to me. I had them in my last grow. Neem oil is an organic product that worked awesome for me. I used it in my current grow as a preventative and I havent seen a single fungus gnat or larvae.

Assuming they are fungus gnats, the larvae eventually eat roots and stunt growth so get onto it asap.

Just my opinion based on my limited experience. Good luck!
 

lazl0

Member
After doing some reading I believe they are pot worms. There hasn't been one fungus gnat in the room yet. From what I read they are ok but they thrive in very damp or acidic conditions. Going to PH my water today and dial back the amount of water I am using. @green_machine_two9er @KiwiDom
My first thought was pot worms. I have some show up in my vermicompost. Like you said they like more acidic and damp environments. As far as I know they are harmless to the plant, but I have read that you can put a slice of bread soaked in milk down and it will attract them, then just throw the bread out...but then I don't know if you want a piece of milk soaked bread sitting in your soil :lol: maybe that could end up attracting other unwanted pests?
 

FamMan

Well-Known Member
My first thought was pot worms. I have some show up in my vermicompost. Like you said they like more acidic and damp environments. As far as I know they are harmless to the plant, but I have read that you can put a slice of bread soaked in milk down and it will attract them, then just throw the bread out...but then I don't know if you want a piece of milk soaked bread sitting in your soil :lol: maybe that could end up attracting other unwanted pests?
I read that last night and had the same thought process! Although Im an organic freak, Im not a fan of bugs. At all. I wouldn't have ate bread for months!
 

Northwood

Well-Known Member
I didn't know that. Will def look into it. Thanks again!
Pot worms really don't do any harm, but they signal that conditions aren't likely ideal for your plants. The vermiculture subreddit has posts related to pot worms because they're a common problem in worm bins when things get too wet with too much fresh food in there. People often mistakenly think that pot worms are after the red wigglers because when the pot worm population explodes their worms are all trying to escape! lol

They're related to earthworms (a different suborder) and are not affected by BT. BT is mostly used to control insects in their larvae stage - like fungus gnats and cutworms. BTW fungus gnats are easy to identify because they're smaller, have more blunt ends, and have a black head.
 
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