what bug is this?

[popper]

Hello,

I have a Renanthera Monachica in a wood basket.
Today a find many of bugs like this around the basket and in the aerial roots.
I don´t know this bugs from the books.
Are they wood bugs?
They have about 1mm lenght, they have legs and they have a abdomen biger than the head.
The skin is soft and have some liquid inside.
The color is black.
What is this, and how do i kill them?
I allready spray some biological product and some bugs died but anothers no.

[musicloveranthony]

I'm sorry to say I'm unsure of what they are. I must say they're pretty cute, regardless :-X

[RenéeS]

Those things sure are tiny. They're not woodbugs or -lice, that I can tell you. What they are, however, I don't know. First I thought they looked like tiny caterpillars but they're not.. Do you know if they damage the orchids in any way? I'd say, keep spraying that pesticide you've been using till all are dead.

[Connie Star]

I'm not an entomologist but I know enough to be dangerous- I think it is a larval form of some kind. You can see legs near the front end, and the back end appears to be segmented.

[popper]

do you think that i must get read of the medium.
I have some sphagnum moss and bark.
I try to wash the basket with warm water but the bugs still persist.

[katrina]

Hard to tell for sure but I believe what you have there is a Springtail.

Springtails are everywhere...many, many different kinds...and they are basically part of a healthy eco-system. They like moist environments and they feed on dead and decaying plant matter. Complete eradication would be tough.

Small numbers of springtail are not going to hurt anything but if conditions are ideal (bad conditions for orchid roots) then the number can get out of control. At that point, it's possible they would feed on live roots. Possible.

Here's a link for info G7363 Springtails | University of Missouri Extension

You can also google springtails. Lots of info out there.

If it is a Springtail and you only have a couple/few here and there...I personally wouldn't worry about it.

[PaphMadMan]

I agree with katrina, looks like some kind of springtail. Common as potting media ages as they are probably feeding on fungi etc. Usually the only damage they do is contribute to faster breakdown of potting media. Might be a sign it is time to repot.

[Matt]

Ok, while your pictures are not close up enough to get a positive identification, I have some more questions for you.
1.Do you find them in groups or individually?
2.Do any of them have colored spots on them? orange or red?

I have seen two different types of insects like these and I also agree that they are larval forms of something. Touches of red or orange(but not always) are usually signs of a lady bug larva, which will feed off of aphids.
The other type I have not been able to id but I find them in the flowers of my brugmansias. So far as I can see, they havent eaten any of my plants.
Lady bugs and their larva can be most beneficial, however their presence usually indicates that there is another pest present.
Id repot the plant and clean it completely, kill any bugs that you see and separate it from any other plants.