Springtails in reservoir?

[RivetGrrl]

Hello all,

Seems my root issues has attracted something really weird.
Are these springtails? They seem to have appeared almost overnight, are rapidly going through instar phases and I have scooped them up to ID and see what kills them.
So far an enzyme treatment, and mosquito dunks.
But I want to know where they came from, and what I should do as these gross little Arthropoda are messing with my chi.
They are not this dark in person, and the larvae look like fungus gnat at first.
After dealing with spider mites this grow was on fire now it’s going to shite
@Waira
Ok edit to say it looks like springtails are harmless, if it is springtails. I still don't want them molting into adults and bouncing off the walls, plants, my dog, my face. Live and let live but not in my grow room.
And where the hell did they even come from??

 

[Waira]

.....oooOOooo,.... special!

Yup, they look like springtail larvae to me,.. as you researched already, they're not real threat, snacking on organic muck and bits,... They are absolutely ubiquitous, existing in staggering nonsensical numbers outside, but if they find their way into the right ID environment (a single potted plant can be an entire state to them!) they can establish,... easy kills, no need for anything atomic... you can lay some sticky traps on the ground to catch and monitor populations,.. as for the source, who knows? Hitchhiked on your shoe, crawled through floorboard cracks,... are you in a tent? Ina garage or someplace close to the outside?

 

[Padawan1972]

I think I had some also..but in soil.
did nothing to the grow/health of plant

 

[RivetGrrl]

.....oooOOooo,.... special!

Yup, they look like springtail larvae to me,.. as you researched already, they're not real threat, snacking on organic muck and bits,... They are absolutely ubiquitous, existing in staggering nonsensical numbers outside, but if they find their way into the right ID environment (a single potted plant can be an entire state to them!) they can establish,... easy kills, no need for anything atomic... you can lay some sticky traps on the ground to catch and monitor populations,.. as for the source, who knows? Hitchhiked on your shoe, crawled through floorboard cracks,... are you in a tent? Ina garage or someplace close to the outside?

Special like I ride the short bus?
I panicked at first thinking they were killing my plant, but it's the root rot. Aaaaaand it's the perfect environment for them. I have three tents in the spare bedroom, with the air vented outside but it is the dead of winter. Never had them before in any plant but this last few months has been all about "yep, ain't had that before. Yep, yep". I just want a grow without a hitch please..
I almost wonder if they came from any new products I'm using but that seems inane. I was in a garden centre about a week ago but didn't even handle any of the plants there.
They really did seem to appear out of nowhere. I watched them with my 15X and 30-60X scopes as they molted before my eyes. No adults yet.
Seems the Enzyme I just got for cleaning killed a lot of them so I'll watch.
Thank you as always

I think I had some also..but in soil.
did nothing to the grow/health of plant

View attachment 1007898 View attachment 1007899

Thank you as well, yup that's them. Apparently they are a sign of good soil health as they consume only rotted vegetation. I actually feel bad about killing them but I can't have them floating around like my reservoirs are Bermuda resorts. If I see any tiny drinks with umbrellas I'm lighting my house on fire....

 

[HashMaster]

Special like I ride the short bus?
I panicked at first thinking they were killing my plant, but it's the root rot. Aaaaaand it's the perfect environment for them. I have three tents in the spare bedroom, with the air vented outside but it is the dead of winter. Never had them before in any plant but this last few months has been all about "yep, ain't had that before. Yep, yep". I just want a grow without a hitch please..
I almost wonder if they came from any new products I'm using but that seems inane. I was in a garden centre about a week ago but didn't even handle any of the plants there.
They really did seem to appear out of nowhere. I watched them with my 15X and 30-60X scopes as they molted before my eyes. No adults yet.
Seems the Enzyme I just got for cleaning killed a lot of them so I'll watch.
Thank you as always



Thank you as well, yup that's them. Apparently they are a sign of good soil health as they consume only rotted vegetation. I actually feel bad about killing them but I can't have them floating around like my reservoirs are Bermuda resorts. If I see any tiny drinks with umbrellas I'm lighting my house on fire....

Too late.....

@ 250X

 

[Waira]

short bus! .....sounds like some eggs got laid on/in something that was brought in? I'm puzzled too RG, it's not like you have media laying around, or.... do you have any other pot/plants of other kinds in the tent? Are they in the starter cubes/plugs maybe? Hydroton balls, or whatever? the organic muck that can grow and accumulate on there could be a food source, attracting them, breeding grounds,... then they take that dive into the res'!

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Whenever I go to the outdoor garden, the hydro shop or anyplace where plants are grown other than the inside of my house; I shower and change clothes before tending to my cannabis indoor grow. So you think I would never have an insect problem - right! Wrong those little bastards can find their way in no matter how careful you are. Just be aware of what is going on in your grows and react as soon as trouble is spotted.

 

[RivetGrrl]

Too late.....

@ 250X

View attachment 1007909

Holy shite where did you find that??

 

[RivetGrrl]

short bus! .....sounds like some eggs got laid on/in something that was brought in? I'm puzzled too RG, it's not like you have media laying around, or.... do you have any other pot/plants of other kinds in the tent? Are they in the starter cubes/plugs maybe? Hydroton balls, or whatever? the organic muck that can grow and accumulate on there could be a food source, attracting them, breeding grounds,... then they take that dive into the res'!

With the luck I've been having, I think the eggs were laid in my empty head and crawled out one dark and stormy night
I have plants in other rooms, but they are clean. Or appear to be... Everything is cleaned and sterilized after grows and nothing was brought in. But they could have been dormant and when the root rot set in it was ideal time to party hard. I started using Sensizyme and MegaCrop but I can't see anything coming in on that. I use Rapid Rooters and Rockwool to start. I actually am baffled but who knows?

Whenever I go to the outdoor garden, the hydro shop or anyplace where plants are grown other than the inside of my house; I shower and change clothes before tending to my cannabis indoor grow. So you think I would never have an insect problem - right! Wrong those little bastards can find their way in no matter how careful you are. Just be aware of what is going on in your grows and react as soon as trouble is spotted.

I was an idiot and got spider mites that way, either from being exhausted from work and stumbling into my grow room to keep my plants alive when I was working/commuting 60+ hours a week, or some clones I *ahem* didn't quarantine *ahem*.
So now that I'm not killing myself I'm very careful, pretty clean. Sterilize best I can but I could always be better.
But you're right, no matter what you do shit can happen.
I monitor my leafy bits, now I've learned that what lies beneath needs as much monitoring as whats above.

 

[HashMaster]

Holy shite where did you find that??

I keep a collection on hand for just such an occasion