Tiny White Bugs in Ficus Soil

[flowapowagirl]

Hey guys, just cleaning out my panthers cage and we have been using a dripper since the last time I cleaned a couple of weeks ago, the dripper has been amazing for humidity and hes been drinking loads so we thought we on to a winner... but it is making a mess of the cage and also... this has happened... (video link below)

What are they? Do I throw it out???? There are also tiny flies at the bottom... im guessing these white bugs are turning into flies??

My poor chameleon, can't imagine they are great to be in his cage.... any suggestions massively welcomed, thank you in advance!



Video Link below...

http://s57.photobucket.com/user/vix7001/media/Video_zps70bf0a85.mp4.html

Vicki
x

 

[Montium]

Do the flies look like this?

https://www.google.com/search?q=dra...G4ac2QXU14HYDw&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=2550&bih=1294

Could be drain fly larvae. They are attracted to damp rotting areas

 

[flowapowagirl]

Do the flies look like this?

https://www.google.com/search?q=dra...G4ac2QXU14HYDw&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=2550&bih=1294

Could be drain fly larvae. They are attracted to damp rotting areas

Looks exactly what it is like! Anyway to get rid of them? Or throw the plant out?

 

[CarlC]

Do they look like little maggots? Try poking one with a pencil point and see if it hops. They could be spring tails which would pose no harm at all.

Carl

 

[flowapowagirl]

Do they look like little maggots? Try poking one with a pencil point and see if it hops. They could be spring tails which would pose no harm at all.

Carl

Hi Carl,

Thank you, did you see the video? They dont hop just crawl fast, they look like those drain fly lava... :-s

 

[ridgebax1]

The flying insects are also called fungus gnats. They are very annoying but not dangerous. I tore apart Omar's cage a few months ago and replaced a lot of soil with a soil/sand mixture to improve drainage, covered that with landscape cloth, then two or three inches of play sand, then river rocks over that and also watered with a biologic control and I have them back again! They are not as bad as they were but I am very frustrated by this. If they get worse I am probably going to clean out the whole bottom of the enclosure and remove all the soil and just put the plants in pots again rather than have the bottom planted as I do now. I am not sure. I really like the look of a planted cage too. However I just got my new aqua zamp mister up and running a couple weeks ago. I go through the same amount of water but have less water draining out of the bottom of the cage. I think that it is because the mist is so fine it is evaporating before it can all run out so the humidity within the cage is higher. There is another treatment that involves using 3% hydrogen peroxide which should not be harmful to Omar as there is little to no residue. I also just got a sundew and put that in the bottom of the cage so hopefully they will just land on there.

 

[djhexadron]

I got the same dang prob with my weeping fig

I bought a 6 inch ficus Benjamina at a local nursery and I repotted it completely with organic houseplant soil and the top 3 inches with large pebbles , well a few weeks later I started getting the bugs mentioned above, I'm going to do another repot this time in super soil, but I'm still looking for suggestions on how to maintain these dang bugs!

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Chamman26]

I had the same thing happen to my ficus so i went to the local hydro store and asked them what would help they were like fungus knats are attracted to very damp soil or rotting roots so i repotted my plant in happy frog organic soil mixed in some grow stones to make a heavy mixture of soil and then u have to get this stuff called insect frass! It works great!!!! U sprinkle it all around ur plant and then water it no more fungus knatts! They hate the stuff!! Hope this helps

 

[Mike Fisher]

Springtails. http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/springtails/

I encourage them in my habitats. Great food for hatchlings and they help keep the cages clean.

 

[Deevo]

If it is a pest in the soil you don't want try baking the soil in your oven at 180* for 30 mins... This pasturizing process will kill all fungi and pests

 

[JimO]

Here is a close up photos of white springtails (they come in many colors and some different shapes). The photos has adults and young. I actually culture them for my dart frogs and they are great for the soil. They actually eat fungus. Normally they crawl around, but they do hop if disturbed.