return of the pest w/ pics

[cpbobby]

Help! return of the pest w/ pics

how do they get into a nearly sealed chamber!? driving me crazy.....im not enthusiastic about repotting either since my echinostoma was comatose for almost 2 months. based off what i have read it seems to be a combination of aphids and fungus gnat larva. they are pissing my plants off. here are a couple pics....i had to use a cheap magnifying glass in conjunction with the camera to get the magnification i have here but still needs more. the need oil doesn't seem to be effectively killing these things...any other suggestions? The little white bugs have either 6 or 8 legs but i do know the front 2 legs stick out a ways past the head. there is also silk on the soil surface and what appears to be a funnel web upon further inspection. I think there is a 3rd bug too but way too fast to photograph.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

photo not working for me

 

[cpbobby]

looks like photobucket is having problems

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Looks like maybe some fungus gnat larvae in the first photo? Kinda hard to see much. I have no clue what I am looking for in the second photo.

Fungus gnat larvae can be a problem, particularly in peat based mixes that are kept pretty wet. They like the finer texture from the peat component. A few isn't the end of the world but they will eat the fine root hairs and damage the roots so best to control them. You can use those mosquito dunks which contains Bt.

 

[kulamauiman]

concur with Tony. Second pic adults look vaguely like drain flies / moth flies. Suggests really wet conditions, decaying organic matter. But could just be fungus gnats....

 

[Safety Shears]

I think that the key to beating this thing may lie in changing up your environmental conditions, making things a bit less humid, and little cooler, and a bit brighter. get plenty of air circulation and keep up with the neem and what-not. Let that soil get pretty dry. Think of it like this; the way to beat a pest isn't to provide the plant with everything it needs to thrive, it's robbing the pest of everything it needs to thrive. You're plants may sulk, but they're going to suffer far more from being invaded. 2 cents. good luck.

 

[cpbobby]

the second pick is that little white dot/bug....i apologize for the poor optical magnification but those things are small. Also I will try to get a pic of the webbing stuff. bt...alright will do. Far as the soil it is pretty dry for the first inch or so but has moisture trapped below that inch.

 

[Veronis]

I've had good results using AzaMax (considered organic, I believe) as a spray/drench for both aphids and fungus gnats, as well as thrips; used on N. ampullaria, flytraps, Sarrs, and even drosera (although drosera dewpoints get burned and the plants suffer a setback).

The mix I used:
23.67 ml per gallon of distilled water for the drench, every 10-14 days.
3.67 ml per 16 oz spray bottle, every 7 days.

It's neem, but it doesn't smell like rotten fruit - AzaMax contains Azadirachtin, neem's powerful insecticide. It does NOT contain "clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil", which is more fungicidal, and is the part of neem that smells awful.

AzaMax actually doesn't leave much of a lingering odor at all.

3-4 drench cycles (along with 7-day-interval sprays, being certain to get under all leaves as well). When mixed with the water, AzaMax will look like watered down skim milk.

https://www.google.com/products/cat...a=X&ei=dLpHULvKBa3G0AGesIHACQ&ved=0CFYQ8wIwAA

By your description, it could be spider mites as well (the webbing, and 8 legged critters with two front legs extending outward).

If its spider mites, you may be in for a fight, but note that AzaMax is also labelled for spider mites, thrips, etc.

AzaMax is an anti-feedant and insecticide. It interferes with the normal life cycle of insects, including feeding, molting, mating, and egg laying. The way in which azadirachtin targets the hormonal system means that the pests' future generations are far less likely to develop a resistance to it.


Edit:

As for the photos, the first photo definitely looks like fungus gnat larva to me. I can't tell much about the second picture.

This thread may be useful for help with ID'ing: http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/bug-in-flytraps-soil-or-on-flytrap-read-here-under-con-t6170.html

 

[cpbobby]

saved and thx for the resource. hmm i may be in luck bc those little white bugs may be springtails.......especially since I do not ever see them on the plants and just in the media. I bought some of the bt as tony suggested and that with neem oil should get those pesky larvae and possibly the springtails but as far as what i read they don't seem to interfere with the plants so idc if they rummage around.

 

[Veronis]

If you think they're springtails, poke/nudge the bigger ones with a toothpick.

If they "vanish"/jump away, they're springtails.

If they squish, you pushed too hard.

 

[cpbobby]

not springtails ...either way the neem oil is doing it's thing. didn't see any fungus gnat larvae but the white bugs....whatever they end up being are still lurking.....ill reapply in 2 more days and hopefully a week or 2 of neem oil warfare should turn the tide of the battle. Will apply that bt stuff this weekend to kill any larvae the neem oil missed.

also had a question about 2 peticides


imidacloprid
perethen

either of these safe....guessing the second one isn't bc it seems to be able to kill everything according to the bottle. lol.

 

[cpbobby]

here is a pic of that webbing like stuff...looked like an eggsac so it was flushed.....for the most part they are gone....i am giving them a neem oil bath every 3 days and I have to really look around to find them now. another week or 2 of vigilance and I believe they will be gone for good. any comment on the 2 pesticides above.....I think i read the one is safe but haven't seen anything on the second one i listed.