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black bugs

I noticed some little black bugs that looks kind of like sugar ants walking on my neps inside my house. I don't see any pitcher or leaf damage at all. I couldn't get a good picture because they're small and my camera is crap. I have placed an online order for ladybugs just to be safe. I plan to release them in with the neps to eat these bugs. I would rather do that than neem. Can anyone tell me what these are? I have done a google search for common pests and they don't look like any of them.
 
Your Nepenthes will love the ladybug treat you bought for them. No kidding, ladybugs are suckers for the nectar too. Peter D'Amato relates how his pitcher plants got a very expensive meal from trying ladybugs and mealybug destroyers (a species of ladybugs). Some one on the ICPS discussion group mentioned the same experience.

You'd be better off with praying mantis or predatory wasps (usually somewhat species specific though). If they are ants ladybugs won't touch them.

And the typical experience with using biological controls is that they will only reduce, not eliminate the pests.
 
But what is this insect? I know it is hard without a picture, but the best I can say is they are black and little. Almost look like sugar ants but not quite. I don't see any harm to the plants.

Since they are in my house, I don't want to put wasps out, lol, but praying mantis might not be too bad.
 
Springtail maybe?
 
no, I know springtails. They stay mostly in the soil, and all the springtails I have ever seen are white. These may be ants. They act like ants, walking around in a straight line

---------- Post added at 05:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:07 PM ----------

these are on my borneo exotic plants, which arrived sterile and clean, and they are in peat moss, which is sterile and clean. They are in my house. If they are a plant pest, I don't know how they would have gotten there. Could it possibly be just sugar ants collecting nectar from the lip of the pitchers?
 
i hope not thrips. that be bad eggs.
 
Could it possibly be just sugar ants collecting nectar from the lip of the pitchers?
Sometimes ants come for nectar, sometimes to set up a new colony nearby & sometimes to tend pests they sometimes assist in infesting plants. :0o:
 
Well I do have many sugar ants on my nep, but I know you mentioned that is not what you have. Could you perhaps do a media change? My nep seems defenseless against the ants but my pings and Drosera make short work of them :)
 
Ants in themselves are usually not a problem for carnivorous plants other than being a nuisance to the grower. Ants are often the staple food for the plants. As Ron noted some species will protect or herd sap sucking pests like aphids or scale. The pests feed the ants a sugary nectar secretion in return. The ants can also steal prey. Leaf-cutter ants might chew up the leaves.

Springtails come in all sorts of colors and shapes. Tan, white, purple, black, gray, brown, striped...I even have some iridescent/metallic colored ones.
 
  • #10
So do I! my spring tails are red, black, gray, and white-metallic.
 
  • #11
Are they actively moving around? Are they similar in size to sugar ants, larger, smaller?

My hunch is thrips..
 
  • #12
oh man you better hope they arent thrips....
if your not seeing any leaf or pitcher deformations/abnormalities (that are frequent) and serious splotching and all sorts of nasty things, they more than likely arent thrips...i had a huge bout with them last year during the sarr season...it was hell.
 
  • #14
thrips seem to have a point on their rear like a stinger from those pics. But these bugs are so tiny its hard to see if its rear is pointed or not. I'm not seeing any plant damage.

Definitely not springtails. I used to buy springtails and add them on purpose to my vivs for my dart frogs. These bugs walk around on the plants.

---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 PM ----------

Little Black Ants - Monomorium
I found this on that website, they look closest to this, and also this picture is of them crawling on a flower. Why would I have ants on my plants? And the ladybugs arent going to eat them?
 
  • #15
the dead give-away for ants is their antennae. Can you see them with a magnifying glass?

If the antennae are elbowed - that is, bent at an angle like an elbow - then they are probably ants.
 
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