What kind of bug is this?

[jay]

I hope that this photo is clear enough. I used a point and shoot, but put it on macro to try to "capture" this monster.

It is zoomed in quite a bit. The two ball like things are LECA for hydroponics so you can get an idea of how small this is. They move quickly when disturbed.

Any ideas?

Jay

[brookn]

No idea, but I vote that it gets the chair.

[evagentry]

it looks like a springtail to me, I have them in one pot too, they are harmlss from what I read about them, but I dont like to have them running all around, maybe there is a drench of somekind you could use to be rid of them.

[articuno75]

It looks like a baby white fly or gnat. I agree with Brookn and give it a zappin or two. I hate bugs. I watered my Phal this morning and a nasty dying fly (HOUSE FLY of all things!) come crawling out of the medium. Of course I screamed. If you seen the way this thing was lurking out of the pot you'd think it was the chic from the movie "The Ring". LOL.

[mbasden]

Hope that it is not white flies. They are hard to get rid of short of complete fumigation

[rmt135]

Catch & smash it.

[BillC]

Hi, strongly agree with Eva, it is a springtail. I could not increase mag without losing definition, but pretty certain of ID.

Bill

[jay]

Thank you all for your help in identifying this little terror. It appears that they are just annoying to have, not really harmful. Wikipedia says that they feed on dying or decomposing material.

My million dollar question now is:

If I am growing my orchids in hydroponics I should not have any decaying or decomposing material for them to feed on why are they here. I suppose that some of the old roots that did not acclimate to S/H could be dying for them to feed on, and shouldn't be a problem since the plants are all producing large quantities of new roots. Should I be worried?

Jay

[evagentry]

I have to smile at what you posted, I thought the same thing! I wouldnt worry , but you might kep an eye on things.

[Laura L.]

Jay, I hope you killed that bug. The National Audubon Society, Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders says that some springtail species attack plants in greenhouses and spread plant diseases. Most, however, are harmless, feeding on molds, decaying vegetation, and algae. They are found under bark, among ground litter, and...on the water!

Up here, in WI, they're called, "snow fleas."

[jay]

Laura, that totally explains their presence. They eat algae. In the S/H I do get some algae growth in the pots since they are clear and always have nutrients. I will keep an eye on things to make sure that the plants are not deteriorating in any way.

Thanks for the additional info.

Jay

P.S. I actually think I did kill them. I used Indoor Pharm organic insecticide.