Tiny white lice or flightless white flies in hydroton! - Orchid Board

greenpassion · #1 02-06-2012, 06:43 PM

I have all my orchids and a few other plants in S/H, and although they are growing really well, I have found that there are tiny white bugs crawling in the hydroton balls. I have sprayed using Safer Soap at each flushing, (2x's a wk.) but I still see them. These plants are on a heat mat, with a small fan above for air circulation, under LED lights, with a humidifier keeping the level around 65%. I'm not sure these bugs are even harmful, as my orchids and African violets are all doing awsome.....

gerneveyn · #2 02-06-2012, 09:15 PM

I have these in my orchids too. In S/H they're more noticeable. I believe they're springtails and are harmless.

greenpassion · #3 02-06-2012, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerneveyn

I have these in my orchids too. In S/H they're more noticeable. I believe they're springtails and are harmless.

Do you grow in S/H? And from what I can remember, springtails are brown, and larger....

gerneveyn · #4 02-06-2012, 10:57 PM

Yes, most of my orchids are in S/H. Maybe I am mistaken, but I thought springtails were grey.

DelawareJim · #5 02-07-2012, 05:13 PM

They're probably springtails as mentioned earlier. I have them in mine too. Mine are white to silvery grey. They are detrivours feeding on dead organic matter like dead roots and any algae in the LECA.

http://www.livefoodcultures.com/_bor...ingtails_3.jpg

Cheers.
Jim

zxyqu · #6 02-07-2012, 11:41 PM

Could also be fungus gnats. They are really just a pain, and they'll break down media quicker. But that's another plus for LECA. Just an eyesore from what I've read. Do you notice any flying gnats around?

Bud · #7 02-08-2012, 12:41 AM

YIKES! whatever it is: I dont like bugs in my place. Id just nuke it.

with my mix:

10 drops dish soap
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
2 cups tepid water from the sink

spray the plants all over in its nooks and crannies and get some in the water to soak it and kill the eggs...flush it after a week then repeat

RosieC · #8 02-08-2012, 07:29 AM

Sounds like Springtails which are not a problem in themselves and I always seem to have some around. They can indicate the medium is breaking down though and it might be time for a re-pot. However I always seem to have some even shortly after a re-pot and they are not really anything to worry about.

greenpassion · #9 02-08-2012, 09:20 AM

I have already sprayed the surfaces of the hydroton with safer soap-this is after I've flushed the pots with plain water, then again with water and a fertilizer and rooting horomone mix. I took a gamble on using safer soap without really knowing if orchids can take that. This was on Saturday, and so far I can see no harm done. Neither do I see bugs, but I haven't gotten really close with my flashlight, which is how I detected them in the first place. Has anyone used safer soap in this way on orchids?

NatalieS · #10 02-08-2012, 09:50 AM

They sound like springtails to me as well. You can test if they are by gently pouring a few drops of water on a bunch of them - they will spring out of the way very quickly. Hence the name 'springtails'! I believe that they are harmless.

I had a small invasion in my hydroleca a while ago. I got rid of them because it didn't look very nice, but the plants appeared completely unaffected by them.