Help ID this critter....what to do!!?

[webwalker00]

4 weeks old....noticed plants started to look a little fatigued like maybe ovewatered but that can't be, so I looked closer. I found these little bugs crawling around the soil...all over in it. Any ideas.....from all research I am leaning towards aphids?

I hear they are really hard to get rid of.....maybe I should scrap and start over after steralizing and getting some new soil? I used MG organic and...well....silly me?

webwalker00 Reviewed by webwalker00 on 06-03-2010. Help ID this critter....what to do!!? 4 weeks old....noticed plants started to look a little fatigued like maybe ovewatered but that can't be, so I looked closer. I found these little bugs crawling around the soil...all over in it. Any ideas.....from all research I am leaning towards aphids? I hear they are really hard to get rid of.....maybe I should scrap and start over after steralizing and getting some new soil? I used MG organic and...well....silly me? Rating: 5

[skitzofrantic]

If you want to try organic soultions.. I had the same bugs, I found a bunch of lady bugs in my yard, dumpped them in there.. as well as little peices of fresh-cut-garlic added to the top of the soil, when I found my bugs... there were THOUSANDS.. now after this organic treatments.. under 100 ... and less and less everyday, good luck to your plants!

[moody420]

Get yourself a Hot Shot no pest strip. I have had several problems in the past with pests getting in on my indoor grow.....ever since I popped one of those in the closet, I haven't seen not one bug! You can pick them up at home depot for around $7! Worth every penny! :jointsmile:

[webwalker00]

Well I have been spraying plants/soil with Ivorysoap/veg oil/water once a day and also 3-1 safe pesticide spray. Also hung up the no pest strips today....so far I have continued to see the bugs in the soil and the lower leaves continue to die....if I don't wipe them out by this weekend I am going to start over I think.

>.<

[CovertCarpenter]

...try this before you do:

Vectobac, or some other targeted bacteria kill thingy. VB is fer shure for fungus gnats, but might work fer yer'n critters, too... it is one of the only thing that kills the eggs in the soil or grow medium. This nails 'em in the soil.

Then, get a bottle of Dutch M4st3r P3n3tr4t0r, or I think the new version is called S4tur4t0r, as well as a bottle of Neem Oil, preferably concentrated. Mix 1l (1qt.) solution at full strength, using carbonated mineral water, and spray the living f*&k outta the leaves, should take about 1/2 hour... per once-or-twice-a-day-during-'daytime/lights on' application. Feel free to add any foliar nutes to this mix that you may be using.

Keep up with the Vb and the spray, and the pest strippy things (with fans off during 'lights out' to make sure it builds up the fog...), and you should be ok.

For a biblical rendition of this, see another recent post of mine that I'm too lazy to link

[laphter]

I have had great success by using Bonide. It is an organic miticide, pesticide, and fungicide. I first used it to take care of white powder mildew because it is neem oil and water based, but it also cleared up any little critters. The downside is it also knocked out the ladybugs who had been hanging out in the garden.

-laphter