what is this?

A tiny white creepy crawly in my potting soil. So far I only found it in one, and it might have come home in the new potting mix ingredients I bought. But there were about 10 or 12 in this one pot. About 1/4 inch long, creamy white. ugh:(

Does this look like your problem??



http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef639.htm

no, thank God!!!!!!!!!

oh no....i found these nasty little bugs today when i went to plant my iris bulbs.....along with a bunch of ants, but i know the ants wont eat the house....i found them next to the house in my flower bed that has mulch(wood chips)on top of it....we just got this house this past february....any good advice...i just read the link that was posted above....i know i need to get rid of these....winter is coming so does this mean they will head into the house?....or do they die in the winter....will they eat my plants that are planted in the mulch?... and i was so happy that i planted all my perennials that i got in a recent trade and now i find termites....should i get rid of the mulch?...that means excavating my flower bed....if i do get rid of the mulch wont that make them want to come into my house?....oh no what do i do....HHHHEEELLLPPPP.....!!!!!!!!!!

Ants are not usually a pest insect, believe it or not. they do a great job of moving soil around allowing air to get in and the micro fauna to do their job of keeping plants alive.

True some ants do farm aphids and true the carpenter ants can get into a wood building and over time do incredible damage (my family nearly lost our summer cottage to carpenter ants-we found out the extent of the damage while rebuilding it so for us it was no big deal, though if we had waited another year it would have been).

It is best to know your enemy (or friend) Go to the library and get some books on ants and learn about them. They are facinating creatures and you will find that they are not all bad by any means nor are they out to get you or your bulbs.

BTW, Nutrasweet™ is a great ant killer. Just place a bit on any ant trails you notice and they will eat it and die within 8 weeks

ohio, are you thinking what i have are aphids??

brommom

Termited like wood mulch, I have had them in potting soil
with wood products. They don't eat live plants, The problem is that they make air gaps between the soil and the plant root. Most plants don't like this.

Diazinon and dursban used to take care of them, I am not up to date for a substitute.

Byron

Tig
Are they root mealy bugs?
Cala

Cala, that sounds like it. Whatever they are, safer soap killed them. Only found in one pot so far, and no outward signs of plant distress. Do you know where I could find a picture??
one more ?
I'm almost 99% positive that they are not termites, but would safer soap have killed termites?

Brommom, You might want to go to Home Depot or Loews and look in their pest control department. They have spikes that you can put in the ground around your house. The spikes contain something that the termites eat and they die. They also have something that will kill termites on contact. Bonnie, I don't think safer soap will get rid of termites. I don't think it's strong enough. Linda

Tig
Try this link
http://westendnursery.com/plants/nightbloomingjasmine.shtml