Is this bug harmfull

[Mud_Hunter]

Actually I have 2 bugs deciding to make my grow home. the first 1 is a small black fly...there on the soil mostly...when i find them on the plant there usually dead and stuck :). The 2nd bug is living on the soil...very fffffing small. there not on the plant.... they look beige or drk gold in color....100's of them. Are they harmfull? Pic of the 2nd bug is center in each pic. No pic of the fly.

[tiedye0420]

fungus gnats are the little black fly's- the second more than likely the larve because they live in the top 2-3 inches of soil. sounds like an infestation. yes they are harmful to the root systems.
google fungus gnat .

[tiedye0420]

the second bug looks like a tick actually.

[Mud_Hunter]

I may have added the pics after your reply tiedye0420...So how do i get rid of this google or tick gritter?

[Mud_Hunter]

These bugs are extremly small...you have to stare at the soil for awhile before u start to see these little ffffer's

[GuySmiley]

I am not sure about that "tick" looking bug, but fungus gnats come from soil that it too wet/poorly drained. Let your plants' soil get a little dry between waterings. Mj likes the soil somewhat dry between waterings.

[Mud_Hunter]

Did these come from the soil? I still have like a bag left...im thinking of freezing the soil ahead of time...maybe killling anything living? I dont want to use the same soil for my clones if i have the same problem.

[GuySmiley]

What kind of soil are you using? You would have to COOK it to sterilize it if it is crappy soil, not freeze the soil.

[tiedye0420]

get a hotshot pest strip if your in veg still- nothing survives a hotshot.

[Mud_Hunter]

I will look at the brand later today...but the soil was purchased from home debot. Proberly not the smartest place to get soil?

Im 2 weeks away from re-veg. Then im cloning...so ill try the hot then. Will the hot shot hurt my clone?

[b1v2w3]

Following this a little. MH could you get like a real good picture, real close-up and of high quality so all of us insectologist could see it good? A picture is, after all, worth a thousand words! b1

[Mud_Hunter]

Following this a little. MH could you get like a real good picture, real close-up and of high quality so all of us insectologist could see it good? A picture is, after all, worth a thousand words! b1These bugs are very very small..i got one on a peice of blk duct tape. My camera takes awsome close ups...but damn this guy is small.

[Mud_Hunter]

What kind of soil are you using? Miracle grow soil. I know longer have the bag to look at for detail info :(

[WayfaringStranger]

those bugs are wierd, i hate to say it, but it is possible, worst case scenario, a tiny oval reddish tick . . . well is a deer tick, which is the type that carries lime deseas, although these seem too big still to be one, as these are almost imposibly to view with the naked eye.

[Mud_Hunter]

Soooooo...Hot Shot still a good choice? And what about clones....will Hot Shot hurt them?

[b1v2w3]

an insecticide should be used but I would recommend avoiding petroleum derivative types (like hot shot, they smell real nasty). Chemicals derived from the chrysanthenum plant and other plants, called pyrethrins, are are available and are low in toxicity and break down quickly and are easily made by the big chemical companies as well. One such product is made by Ortho under the name NEW Diazinon. Bayer Advanced Garden Spray(I think is the right name) is another one. Mix at the rate of 1 TBSP/Gallon and pour a small amount over the soil or, if you have a spray bottle, spray the soil until it's damp and the general area as well for those black flies.
To prevent recurrences I would get some Neem oil and do a general area misting once a week. The stuff interferes with insect and fungus and mite development but is not too effective in killing established populations.b1

[Mud_Hunter]

Thanks B1 ...I will look for such products.

Ive read putting a layer of sand (like 1/2") on top of the soil keeps this type of insect away?

[tiedye0420]

vermeculite works well for knat control, a two inch layer on top- letting the soil dry adequately between waterings is the best control. they need moisture and if the top two or three inches stays dry [for the most part] they cannot breed and live.
******** only use the hotshot on vegging plants *************
but it wont hurt clones. chemicals can be harsh but i have heard rave reviews on overgrow about the hotshots. they kill all in their path. hang it up in the grow and everybug dies.
the bigger bug, looks an awful lot like these buggs i have been finding occasionally in my grow. they did eat some, but not much damage. i only had one or two though.
you might have problems if they are as plentiful as you say.

pyrithean [crysanthemum] is a very good control for knats, but not sure what it will do to the 'ticks' , neem is tricky at best and as b1 says generally ineffective, except when used extremely dilligantly. and it can easily do as much or more damage than the mites themselves, if not used properly.
gnats-your on the right track, and maybe the vermeculite will deterr those ticks since they seem to be on the soil.

if they really are ticks, they will hang from leaves- so they can drop in on critters as they go by the plant.
i had a tick infestation last year, and there was one container with m.g. soil in it come to think of it.
makes you wonder.
try f.f. ocean forest next run.

[tiedye0420]

weevils dude- you got weevils thats what the little 'ticks' are.
tiedye

[WayfaringStranger]

diotedatious earth, little sharp particles that cut em up and bleed em to death.

[b1v2w3]

Diatomaceous earth (silicon dioxide) is very effective, though mostly on crawling insects. b1

[zendude]

the fungus gnats can be controlled better with sand on top of the soil. you used potting soil straight outa the bag and it is always too heavy for growing. add some perlite next time and lighten it up in a major way. the drainage will be greatly improved. as for now get some sand and put on top of the soil to a depth of 3/4 to 1 inch. the spaces between the grains are small enough to keep the fungus gnats out of the soil. definately let the soil dry out between waterings to get rid of what you have. you can also carefully dig around the top of the soil or make little holes in the top to help dry it out. that is before you add the sand. the other looks like an ambush bug, a predator and that is a good thing. i can't see in the pic but are the front legs similar to a preying mantis? if they are that's it for sure. they wait for insects to land nearby and then they grasp them just like the praying mantis. if you use insecticide on this you'll get rid of the ambush bug (predator) controlling the prey (fungus gnat) and end up with a bigger problem when the population of gnats rebounds long before the ambush bug.

[Mud_Hunter]

Thanks for the advice zendude ...Since my last post I have harvested and let the soil dry out. Bugs appear to be gone. I wish i could have gotten a better pic of the kridder...it would have been nice to know for sure what the hell it was. Im sure I havent seen the last of them.

Thanks Guys

[b1v2w3]

Prevention: neem oil b1

[dexorated]

I may have added the pics after your reply tiedye0420...So how do i get rid of this google or tick gritter?
lol google is not the type of fungus gnat. google is a internet search engine that he was saying you should use to look the insect up

[Mud_Hunter]

ahhhh ..got it

[bUrNEd_oUt420]

i think that if you give it a 1 or 2 hot shots it shoudl kill the bugs, but if not i woudl look into buying sum insecticide.... b_O420

[Oahugrown]

Those small insects appear to be aphids. Do they cling to the BOTTOM of the leaf surface?? Do they congregate in large masses and do they excrete a sticky substance called Honeydew which coats the leaf surfaces??

If you have that and your lower leaf surfaces are turning black from the decaying Honeydew that drips down on them, then you probably have aphids. One sure way to tell is to inspect the bug closely, look at it's rear abdominal area, if it is an aphid, it will have two small projections, almost like little antennae on its rear, if not, then they are probably thrips, they are a small gnat like larvae.

Either way, they insert a tube from their mouth into the leaf or plant surface and suck the juices and nutrients from the plant, weakening and eventually killing it.

A natural way to get rid of them is to just wash the plant with a light pressure, but since you don't want to disturb your buds or crystals in anyway, mix up a spray bottle with a light, solution of water and dish soap. Spray the underside of the leaves and any where you see the bugs. Since these animals have exoskeletons and breath through the skin, the soap suffocates them and they die. The soap washes off naturally and is biodegradable, which will not effect the quality of your smoke. Do not use commercial pesticides, they get into the plant and you end up smoking them.