TINY almost transparent insects

I have a wild strawberry plant indoors in a small container. The tips of the leaves are starting to brown, and I recently noticed some TINY almost transparent insects crawling around on the base of the pot. I brushed off about 8-10 of them last night, and then watered the plant. This morning I don't see any more of the insects in the tray, but I'm concerned that they may have crawled up inside the soil. What kind of bug is this? I know it is common because I've seen it on other houseplants in the past. I'm pretty sure this current infestation came from a plant that I took in for someone who is out of the country, because I know he had it on his terrace this summer. I think the bugs may have infected my other houseplants as well, but I haven't checked them yet. I'm most concerned about the strawberry plant because it is a new seedling and already in a delicate state. What can I do to get rid of these little pests without harming the tiny new sprouts on the plant?

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the correct spot, since it is a question about an indoor plant pest, but I'm hoping someone may still be able to help me.

This message was edited Aug 17, 2008 8:35 AM


Sorry, I just learned that posting messages in more than one category is discouraged. This is a cross-post to a message I placed in the Fruits and Nuts section: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/891467/. There are SO many categories; I thought that people might only focus on one or two. Anyway, I apologize for the repetition. I will greatly appreciate any help that is offered. Thanks.


This message was edited Aug 17, 2008 8:39 AM

Could be mites...I would spray everything with bayer 3in 1- once a week for a month. It takes care of disease, pests and mites.

Do you happen to know, if the mites (if the problem IS mites) would be living in the soil, or would they be visible on the tops of the plant? Might they be the cause of the tips turning brown? Other plants that have them in my house aren't turning brown, but they are larger houseplants. Following recommendations that I received in my other post, which is in the Fruits and Nuts section (http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/891130/), I am planning to put the little plant into a plastic bag. I'm wondering (A) if it's okay to treat a young seedling with the bayer 3 in 1, and (B) if I could then bag the plant without danger of harm. Do you think I should try bagging first, as the last Fruits and Nuts advisor recommended, hoping that it will create an environment unfavorable to the bugs, or do you think I should first treat it with the bayer 3 in 1? Is it a strong poison?

By the way, thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. I am trying my best to save this little plant that got burned by the sun and dehydrated.

This message was edited Aug 17, 2008 10:14 AM

Mites usually live on the leaves not in the soil, I think it's probably something else. Have you seen them fly at all or do they just sit on the soil? Fungus gnats are very common with seedlings if you've watered just a bit too much so I'd tend to suspect them over mites. The larvae of the fungus gnats can do some damage to the roots of the plant, but the overwatering that led to the gnat problem is more likely to kill your plant than the gnats. To get rid of gnats, you can try watering with some dilute hydrogen peroxide (only if the plant needs to be watered though!) or get some mosquito dunks and put those in the water, they contain a bacteria that will take care of the gnat larvae. As far as the Bayer 3 in 1, if this is an edible strawberry and you plan to eat berries from it eventually I would NOT use the 3-in-1, it's a systemic insecticide which gets absorbed into the plant tissues and sticks around for months, definitely not something recommended for things you're planning to eat.

Cyclamen mites are pretty much invisible, only can be seen with a microscope, spider mites are barely visible to the naked eye. determining the problem is usually by the damage, brown discolored foliage with curly tips. The bayer 3 in 1 is safe for houseplants. To get rid of the problem you are going to have to spray all of your houseplants outside, on a weekly basis for about a month. I don't see how bagging would help...they lay eggs in the soil and will continue to hatch and feed on the plant. I know this sounds like a lot of work, and it is. I bought an African violet plant that had them and it spread to all of my plants. I have been taking over 50 plants outside on a weekly basis and spraying. They are starting to look much better. I also have some baby plantlets that I am spraying and they look o.k. so far. If they don't make it they will get pitched. Everything has to be treated...I learned my lesson the hard way and did not isolate a new plant. Always isolate any new plants for 3 mo, and also plan to spray any new plant I get, as losing a whole collection is not worth all this work. Yes it is a poision as is all pesticides, wear gloves, use a pump up sprayer, which lets you direct a fine spray at all of the plant, under the leaves which is where they hide, and on the soil. Let them dry outside then bring them in. Sometimes you just have to use a chemical to kill the buggers on plants. I tried neem oil and safers insecticidal soap and they didn't do anything for mites.
Good Luck, let me know how you do...
Jill

E crane is right, if you are going to eat these do not use the spray.
Yes mites live on the leaves ...but they lay eggs in the soil

But the mites themselves aren't in the soil, that's why if lzumi is seeing insects sitting on the soil it's probably something other than mites (not to mention if a mite was sitting on the soil, it would blend in too much with the soil and you'd never see it)

She might have multiple problems going on...maybe mealie bugs too? So if she isn't going to eat them and they are a decorative house plant, I still go with the bayer.

I'm not sure how much of a problem the infestation is. I never actually saw the bugs ON the plant; they were just crawling around on the terra cotta tray that sits underneath it. I've seen the same type of bugs in the past on houseplants but they were always only on the tray, not the plant itself. That's why I asked if they might be living up inside the soil. They are TINY, about the size of a pinhead, or smaller, and they crawl very quickly (almost dart). I do think they came from one of the plants I took in, because this little seedling was sitting beside that plant on a windowsill for a couple of days.

I don't know how long it takes for insects to establish themselves in a plant, but I kind-of doubt they would have already had time to get settled there (??), since it's only been a few days since I saw them. I would be very surprised if there were multiple pests in the soil, because the plant was only exposed to one possible source of infestation for a couple of days, and that was only last week. And the plant that is the potential source of the pests is doing fine.

I AM hoping to eventually eat the fruits from the strawberry, so I'm gonna hold off on the bayer for now. I've already bagged the plant according to recommendations on my Fruits and Nuts post, so I will keep a close eye on it to see if there are any crawlies in there. I was worried about the browning, but that may have started because I gave it too much water.

Anyway, thank you all for your help. I'll let you know if I see the bugs again; and I'll isolate that other plant, too. Let me know if you have any further advice. Thanks!