Springtail aka Collembola outdoor soil 40x

[Stoner Bob]

Here is a few clips I have. I super glued my camera to the top eyepeice, and inspected this pinch of soil on the slide for about 10 minutes, trying to keep them in focus and hand holding a mini mag light aside the sample to light it up.. I clipped out the parts with life. In one part (~0:25) you can see the thing disappear as if it jumped. I've read that thrips leap.

I noticed things moving on my soil after watering yesterday. To buy some time, I;ve put down some DE on top of the soil, until I figure out a natural insecticide to get locally or online. I've had bad luck trying to find Safer Insect soap locally, maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.

anyone have luck finding natural insecticides in Homie Depot, Lowes, Artmstrong garden centers, or Orchard Supply Hardware?

Nevermind

 

[Granger2]

If it's thrips, a drench with Spinosad should do the trick. And follow up. Good luck. -granger

 

[Snype]

Nice video! They do seem to have the body structure of a thrip. I've personally never seen them in the soil before. I'm used to seeing them on leaves. They are pretty fast too. I can't say 100% sure but it looks that way to me. If you showed the leaves and they had those white streaks on them, then I would know.

 

[Stoner Bob]

If it's thrips, a drench with Spinosad should do the trick. And follow up. Good luck. -granger

Thanks, ordering some online today, should be here in two days. It'll be nice to have that stuff on hand.

Nice video! They do seem to have the body structure of a thrip. I've personally never seen them in the soil before. I'm used to seeing them on leaves. They are pretty fast too. I can't say 100% sure but it looks that way to me. If you showed the leaves and they had those white streaks on them, then I would know.

I haven't noticed anything on the leaves, I was thinking I may have caught them in early life and they haven't left the soil yet.

That was just a small sample though, no idea of how much of the smart pot soil has them.


here's the image I saw that made me think they're thrip larve.

Yesterday I tried to find Spinosad locally, and couldn't. But I did find some ladybugs on sale, I put them on the plant and on the soil of the smart pots.

 

[Kcar]

They are springtails. Harmless...

 

[Snype]

They are springtails. Harmless...

Yeah if they didn't go to the leaves then it's most likely not thrips. Kcar seems to know what he's talking about. I would still get rid of whatever they are even if you think they are harmless. Why would you want creatures living in your soil.

 

[Carbon.Chains]

Why would you want creatures living in your soil.

This is what soil is all about...
Springtails are not only harmless, they're beneficial.

 

[Snype]

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74136.html:

DAMAGE
"Most springtails are harmless scavengers, feeding mainly on decaying organic matter. Some species may damage plants by chewing on the roots and leaves of seedlings. The seedlings may appear wilted and may die if damaged when young. Damage occurs as minute, rounded pits on young leaves or roots, or as irregular holes in thin leaves. Mature plants are not significantly injured. Springtails rarely cause enough damage to plants to warrant control measures.

Springtails can become a nuisance around swimming pools when they fall in and drown in large numbers, often coating the pool surface. Although unsightly in the pool, they can be safely removed without cause for concern. Springtails will not bite or otherwise harm people or pets.

Their large populations can also make them a nuisance in homes, greenhouses, and other locations where there is a source of moisture. Their continued presence indoors is an indicator of moisture."


http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/springtail01.pdf:

"While most of their feeding activity is restricted to the organic matter in the soil, they occasionally
feed on the tender shoots and root growth of these plants. "

 

[Stoner Bob]

Thanks !!

The pic I posted of that thrip larve really did look like what I was seeing under the scope, The only pic I seen on springtails was one with that have the big spring (furcula ) coming out their rear, and i did not see them on these guys under the scope.

Looking at more pics and information now they you mention they're springtails, I find images without the spring extended, and they do look similar.

are they really beneficial though? decomposers yes, but I came across this article on them just now and I wonder if one problem I had was related to these guys..

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74136.html

Most springtails are harmless scavengers, feeding mainly on decaying organic matter. Some species may damage plants by chewing on the roots and leaves of seedlings. The seedlings may appear wilted and may die if damaged when young. Damage occurs as minute, rounded pits on young leaves or roots, or as irregular holes in thin leaves. Mature plants are not significantly injured. Springtails rarely cause enough damage to plants to warrant control measures.

That may explain why I had one branch on this plant wilt and die off the stem for no apparent reason. I thought it may have been overwatering.

here is that branch from a few weeks ago.

 

[Snype]

I provided you 2 links in my last post. There is risk of plant damage as stated. It's really your choice on what you would like to do. I just provide the information and then it's up to the grower to decide the risks involved. It seems from the information that I posted above that most times your plants will be OK but do you really want to take that risk?

 

[Stoner Bob]

I provided you 2 links in my last post. There is risk of plant damage as stated. It's really your choice on what you would like to do. I just provide the information and then it's up to the grower to decide the risks involved. It seems from the information that I posted above that most times your plants will be OK but do you really want to take that risk?

Yes, thank you.

do I really want to take the risk? of course not. and that is why I posted the pic of the wilted branch, since there may be a connection with that and the proper identification here, that I've found springtails in my soil

The link you posted from ucdavis was the same link I was reading as I was typing out my post and uploading pictures. After I hit submit I noticed that you also linked the same page


I guess I've already taken one correct step without even knowing it, by putting lady bugs there last evening. today I went out and they;'re pretty active on the surface of the soil, hopefully eating these springtails. While the ladybugs will not ( I don't think) burrow into the soil and kill the springtails that may be deeper, Once my Spinosad (Monterey Garden Insect Spray)arrives, I'll mix up some of that and pour it in each smart pot.

http://douglasdrenkow.com/theworldoflife/biocon.htm

Ladybugs have hefty appetites -- 1 larva [an "aphidwolf"] can eat over two dozen aphids a day, and 1 adult can eat over twice that much! Generally, reddish-orange ladybugs eat aphids; the darker ones more often eat spider mites (6), whiteflies (41), and scale insects (46).

Overall, the prey of ladybugs includes mites (5), spider mites (6), springtails (12), thrips (23), lace bugs (28), chinch bugs (32), leafhoppers (37), perhaps treehoppers (38), psyllids (40), whiteflies (41), aphids (42), gallmaking and/or woolly aphids (43), pine and/or spruce aphids (44), scale insects (46), mealybugs (47), such other ladybugs as the Mexican bean beetle (65) [one of the few plant-eating species of ladybugs], asparagus beetles (70), the Colorado potato beetle (72), perhaps flea beetles (73), the elm leaf beetle (82), weevils (83), perhaps the diamondback moth (105), leafrollers (112), the European corn borer (117), sphinx moths and/or hornworms (130), cutworms and/or related caterpillars (138), the corn earworm (139), the stalk borer (142), and webspinning and/or leafrolling sawflies (157).

 

[SunGrown]

spray the spinosad on your girls too to help prevent moth and butterfly worms from eating and killing your flowers. Not sure if you have researched yet, but caterpillars can be extremely disastrous to your garden!!!

 

[Stoner Bob]

spray the spinosad on your girls too to help prevent moth and butterfly worms from eating and killing your flowers. Not sure if you have researched yet, but caterpillars can be extremely disastrous to your garden!!!

Thanks. I'll spray them one evening.

as far as caterpillars go, no, I haven't researched that much on them, because I haven't noticed them (butterflys, moths or catepillars) anywhere. But I probably should just to be aware. I have a bottle of Safer Caterpillar Killer with BT on hand, just picked it up yesterday. I'll keep an eye out for them and budworms

 

[SunGrown]

bt doesnt work for me anymore, I trust spinosad much more.

you wont notice them till you start seeing dry crispy flowers on your plant. 08 was the first year I had the problem and I was stumped along with many on the same hill...literally lost pounds of flowers that year....I actually cried a time or two over it...but then it was figured out and stopped from then on...

once you get them it sucks, you have to literally try to inspect every flower, which is near impossible, and going thru them to pick the little fuckers out makes the buds all squished and just...not something you want to do

 

[Kcar]

Caterpiller Killer with BT only has a 3 day residual effect and is broken down
readily by sunlight. Spinosad has a 21 day useful period. Both are organic.

 

[FatherEarth]

Bob,

Nice video. A head lamp and some velco attached to your scope makes it super easy to keep the light steady and its adjustable so you can point the light where you need it. Thats how I do it, at least until I shell out 700$ for the trinocular attachment..

Here is a good resource for your bookmarks when trying to ID things in your soil.
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~maminor/mites.html

Also an area specific plant and disease monitoring and ID

http://uspest.org/wea/

 

[Coba]

Spinosad may kill beneficial insects.

Predatory Mites like Hypoaspis miles, will keep the Springtail population under control.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoaspis_miles