Weird things

[turner]

I resently put soil in my terrarium, and after a while it seems that there are live things in it. They are white, are less then half a millimeter wide, and are about half a centimeter long. What are these things and are they bad? Should I remove the soil or can I do something to help?

thanks, justin

 

[SunPitcher]

they sound like fungas gnat larvae and they are known to eat seedling cp roots

 

[Starman]

No they arnt, they are springtails, a harmless pest that lives in the soil.
Dont bother trying to get rid of them, nothing works.

 

[Bugweed]

Not completely true, Starman. I have found an old Native American remedy that works for insects of all kinds. Pennyroyal oil. Strong, and toxic, to many insects, whether mites, gnats, chiggers, or springtails.

 

[Jason Wong]

Hmmm, where do you get this miracle oil?

 

[Bugweed]

I know nothing of any "miracle" oil. Just the PennyRoyal. The Sioux used it a lot for insect pests and such. I learned this on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, years ago. No miracle Jason, just a gift from the Great Spirit to His people, the Sioux. I get it from a friend at his health food store. Where he gets it, I do not know.

 

[Kirkscoastalcarnivores]

I let my plants and springtails live together in harmony

 

[Bugweed]

Seedling Dionaea love the taste of springtails.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

If the bugs jump about when disturbed they are springtails if they look like caterpillars/maggots they are likely fungus gnat larva. I'm leaning toward fungus gnat larva as I've not seen any springtails 5mm long in my pots yet.

 

[turner]

Most of those things are only about 2mm long but some are 5mm. The only time I can see them is when the glass in my terrarium is wet, they seem to like it and climb up. Almost all of them (the ones that are on the glass) die after the humidity goes down. So should I worry?

 

[turner]

O yeah, They are also soo slow that the first time I saw them I didn't even realize they where living things.

Weird!

 

[shokuchuu]

I know what you're talking about. I've had them in all my terrariums, crawling up and down the glass. There's nothing to worry about with these beasties, they're harmless and just a little unsightly. They make a great snack for aquatic Utricularia (I used to keep U. gibba in the water at the bottom of my terrariums)!


Amori

 

[Alvin Meister]

I've found that fungus gnat larvae will eat the roots of small Dionaea plants. The best solution I find is to keep a sundew of some description next to the VFT to catch the adult flies.