Found these little guys in the bottom of my tent. I thought some of the soil was just getting blown out but it kept getting worse. Started looking closer and saw some of the “dirt” wiggling around. Just took the photos and starting to google, but anyone know what this is? I know the pictures aren’t the best, but they look like little grey worms all over my grow room floor.
I’ve seen a few little flyers I assumed were gnats but I haven’t caught anything on the sticky traps.
Not sure if it’s Fungus Gnat larvae or Springtails. Here’s another picture from the sticky trap. They appeared mostly dead on the floor which was strange, but there were a ton of them. I read somewhere else that someone using mosquito bits got springtail infestations which they claimed were mostly harmless following application. I have been using MicrobLift BMC which is the same microbes. It almost felt like they were trying to escape the pot out on the ground but then were getting fried by the light. Either way I did a wipe down with alcohol and then insecticidal soap. I only found one adult gnat on the sticky traps so didn’t spray anything directly onto the plants yet just onto the floor of the tent.
They look like larva to me grow bro. Id wait for another opinion as well though. I think i have seen people here using Diatomaceous earth to kill larva/eggs
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Thanks man! Yeah the photos aren’t the best which doesn’t help. I don’t think the larvae typically have such pronounced antenna and the Springtails jump out of the soil which makes more sense why they were all over the tent floor. Still not ruling out larvae though and right there with you on wondering if others might have a better eye for it than me.
I’m definitely going to have to start using diatemous earth because it is easier and covers kind of everything. I read about mold issues for people who over water and I’m still in that camp so I’ve been using MicrobLift BMC which is concentrated mosquito bits and Nematodes for larvae. It seemed to be working pretty well until I found these and the one gnat. I think the real key is getting a good dry cycle in place which I think I’m close to but maybe a few hours off on length of dry time.
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Tanlin drops mile hydro
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Thanks! Are you confirming they’re fungus that larvae? I’m using LiftBMC and SF Nematodes and have only seen 1 adult so if they are then I think they’re getting killed before reaching maturity. I’ve never seen or have heard of them hopping out of the pot and onto the floor before and thought fungus gnat larvae specifically require moisture and decomposing debris for their life cycle.
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Good to know! I’ll have to check these out. It would be nice to be able and replace the liftBMC with this, not a huge fan of the goopy mess of the LiftBMC product.
Ive had good luck with it, 2 drops per gallon and i haven’t seen any pest in 5 grows, maybe i wouldn’t have anyways that i dont know but ill keep on using, good luck and best wishes, started these a little over a month ago, wedding cake , photos
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Nice, yeah it looked good to me. I’ll likely grab it as a replacement for my LiftBMC that’s mostly done.
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Those are springtails. They are beneficial. They keep mold and fungus at bay. I used to breed colonies of them for terrariums etc. Dart frogs love them too.
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I forgot to mention they might be showing up in mass due to excess water. There are springtails that like it drier but most like a moist/damp environment.
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Nice, so maybe don’t nuke them. This was just in time, lights went off and I was about to spray. I was reading to spray them to avoid other pests moving in to feed like mites.
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Yeah I read this too and have been working on my dry cycle. I was just waiting until the plants wilted and they seemed to be doing great other than finding a swarm of these on the bottom of the tent.
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I personally wouldn’t worry about them. They wont hurt your plants or mess with anything. I suppose they could be a food source for other pests if you already had those on your grow too. Springtails are considered cleanup crews, like isopods etc.
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Sounds good, I’ll hold off then and just keep monitoring while trying to get my dry cycle lined out. I was going to use soap and neem oil so nothing super toxic but still prefer not to nuke the biology in there because it seems healthy otherwise.
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They will move on or die off if you get the dry cycle down. They are present in most soil but usually to small to really notice unless you are watching your dirt like a hawk. Granted some species are rather large and can get like 4 or 5mm long. Sorry im a bug nerd. Been breeding insects for over 2 decades. From roaches, isopods, scorpions, to tarantulas, and a bunch of other things.
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Hey man happy to have your insight and I’m all about nerding out.
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Thats a badass hobby bro…
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