bugs in soil

[nightcrawler]

i have these little white bugs in my umbrella plants soil. they are tiny. like a pencil point. also their are these little hundered leggers. they are like a quarter inch long.

should i be worried?

are they going to eat my cham like a wild pack of ants?
thanks.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

They probably won't eat your chameleon
I would try and eradicate them though.
repot the plant in new soil.
Be sure to rinse the roots very well in soapy dish water.

-Brad

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

Brad,

soap isn't the best idea
it will kill beneficial bacteria and fungi cultures

the base problem is likely to be a high nitrogen content potting soil
in combination with too much watering.

what will work better is to dry the soil out
if you unpack the soil from the pot
and let the plant stand "root bare" for a while outdoors
The insects will either dry out and die or leave.

Most plants can better handle the short term lack of moisture
than can most insects.

Repot your houseplant in in a less rich soil
(not 100% composted manure / lower nitrogen)
perhaps cut the mix with sand & perlite
that will help quite a bit with creating a
healthy medium for the plant but not insects.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Also a good suggestion.
However, the dish soap method of cleaning the roots and even spraying the leaves is recommended by many horticulturists for this exact issue.
I didn't make it up, and it's safe for the plant.

-Brad

 

[nightcrawler]

i cant put it outside because its snowing.
would i be able to put it in the basement to dry out?
i have a dehumidifyer in the basement and i think that would work. my dripper drips in this pant becuase i cant seem to divert the water good enogh.

 

[bg77]

I have had this problem with all my plants. I just get new soil and then pull out plant a completely wash all soil away from roots. Then re-pot and good to go.

 

[Marty]

White bugs are springtails, completely harmless. Decomposers. Sign of healthy soil. I culture them for my dart frogs babies as food.

 

[nightcrawler]

yea i read you are soposed to have thos in your pygmys setups to eat the poop. ok so they wont eat him alive as long as he keeps pooping.

 

[fliver]

they also sound like they could be mealybugs

they look like tiny pieces of fuzz

 

[Chase]

Brad,

soap isn't the best idea
it will kill beneficial bacteria and fungi cultures

the base problem is likely to be a high nitrogen content potting soil
in combination with too much watering.

what will work better is to dry the soil out
if you unpack the soil from the pot
and let the plant stand "root bare" for a while outdoors
The insects will either dry out and die or leave.

Most plants can better handle the short term lack of moisture
than can most insects.

Repot your houseplant in in a less rich soil
(not 100% composted manure / lower nitrogen)
perhaps cut the mix with sand & perlite
that will help quite a bit with creating a
healthy medium for the plant but not insects.

I am studying Horticulture right now and I know its safe to spray plants with soap. But as for the Chameleons, yal are the experts so yal can call that but It is completely safe for the plant.

 

[nightcrawler]

they also sound like they could be mealybugs

they look like tiny pieces of fuzz

they really dont look like this. i would say a white spot on bacl paper that moves. they dont seem fuzzy at all, but i cant see small things well.

 

[desultadox]

I definitely have some mealybugs on a plant or two ... they seem mostly harmless, is that true?

 

[Chase]

Acually mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant and secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealybug) used for protection while they suck the plant juices. The males on the other hand, are short-lived as they do not feed at all as adults and only live to fertilize the females. Male citrus mealy bugs fly to the females and resemble fluffy gnats. The most serious pests are mealybugs that feed on citrus; other species damage sugarcane, grapes, pineapple (Jahn et al. 2003), coffee trees, cassava, ferns, cacti and orchids. Mealybugs only tend to be serious pests in the presences of ants because the ants protect them from predators and parasites. Mealybugs also infest some species of carnivorous plant such as Sarracenia (pitcher plants), in such cases it is difficult to eradicate them without repeated applications of insecticide such as diazinon. Small infestations may not inflict significant damage. In larger amounts though, they can induce leaf drop.

Hope this helps.

 

[desultadox]

Well my plants seem to be doing fine, I guess there aren't too many bugs. I was more worried about the chams if anything.

 

[Chase]

They will like said above they make drop leaves. If they loose the leaves then the Chameleon might not have anything to climb on, also they can kill a plant fast. I would spray a soap and water ratio spray on this plant and buy a new one. Soap to water ratio is 1 part soap:3 parts water. I would use it every other day and for a week. Then you can let it grow out or put it back in and switch out with the other new plant.

 

[desultadox]

Hmm, that sounds easy enough. I imagined eradication would involve small nuclear weapons like some other pests require.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Mealy bugs can be effectively removed with a q-tip dipped in Isopropyl alcohol.
rub the effected areas with the q-tip until the bugs are removed.
They may re-appear (eggs hatching) so continued applications will be necessary until they are completely gone.
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol evaporates quickly and should not harm or effect your chameleon in any way.

-Brad

 

[desultadox]

Cool, I'll try that.