The 6 Common Tiny Bugs in Houseplant Soil: Identify by Images and Symptoms.

In this article I want to speak with you about the tiny bugs in houseplant soil; who are they? Are they harmful to your potted plant? After reading this article you will answer these questions easily. Most of the tiny bugs that you may spot in your houseplant’s soil belong to one of the following bugs:

• Root Aphids
• Isopods (Pill bugs)
• Springtails
• Mealybugs (Scales)
• Fungus gnats
• Earwigs

Because the above tiny bugs live inside the soil, you may not spot them easily, hence, in the following:

• First, I tell you about the symptoms of the infected plant.
• Then, I show you the appearance of its culprits.

You should grab your magnifying glass because some of them are very tiny.

I’m a plant pathologist and walk with you through this article, feel free to ask your question below this page or click here. let’s get going to give you a brief overview of tiny bugs in your houseplant’s soil and how to get rid of them.

➡  Hear the audio version of this article.

 

What are common tiny bugs in houseplant soil?

Root Aphids: tiny bugs in your houseplant’s soil

If your houseplant has the symptoms of nutrition shortage but you cannot improve its growth by fertilization, it my infected by root aphids. In this situation, you have to consider the roots.

If you see 2-3mm long bugs with pear-like bodies and white, yellow, green or brown colour, your houseplant is infected by root aphids. Also, you may see waxy white secretions on the roots. In this situation, you may be confused between root aphids and mealybugs. So, you must spot these tiny bugs in houseplant soil with your magnifying glass.

Another symptom of root aphid infection is the presence of ants around your houseplant. Ants are the close friends of aphids. They feed on the honeydew secreted by aphids. Instead, during the spring and summer, ants carry the aphids from one houseplant’s pot to another and protect aphid eggs from overwintering.

Read about “Root aphids in houseplants” to know more about these tiny bugs in houseplant soil and how to get rid of them.

Root Mealybugs: tiny bugs in houseplant soil

Mealybugs, like aphids, can attack both foliage and roots of your indoor plant. From afar, you may think someone has spread talcum powder on your houseplant foliage. In root infestation,  if you remove the plant from the soil, you will spot a cotton cover on the roots.

If these tiny bugs attack to foliage parts of your houseplant, you can see small Mealybugs on the plant (Scales) that congregate around the leaves and stems of your indoor plant. so, They suck the sap of your houseplant and it gets weak and weak.

In root infestation, you can just see a nutrition shortage sign that cannot be solved by adding fertilizer. In this situation, you must check the roots. Read about “Root Mealybugs (scales) in Houseplant Soil” to learn how to control these tiny bugs in houseplant soil. In addition, if you have any problem with mealybugs on foliage parts,  read about “Mealybugs on houseplant” to show you how to get rid of them.

Fungus gnats: harmful larvae in houseplant soil

They are tiny black fliers that fly around your houseplant but never bite you or your pets. Indeed, the adult fliers don’t hit your houseplant but their larvae attack its roots and feed off them. Hence the roots lose their ability to absorb water and nutrition. They cause sudden wilting and yellowing of the leaves. Your indoor plant will lose vigour and show poor growth.

Their appearance:

As you can see in the following picture, they are small fliers that look like tiny mosquitoes with light grey or clear wings, narrow legs and large segmented antennae. The larva is whitish and about 6mm long. Although its body is semi-transparent and you can see its black content, its head is black.

Earwigs in the houseplant soil

If you spot that the leaves of your houseplant are jagged and worm-eaten (full of holes), you should suspect earwigs. If you look at your houseplant accurately, you may find their excrement scattered around your plant like small, black pellets.

They hate of sun and love dark and wet environments; hence, you should seek under plant pots in the saucer. You may see a flattened, elongated insect with a pair of forceps-like pincers on its abdomen like the following picture.

Houseplant springtails

If you after watering see a lot of springtails that are crawling on the soil of your houseplant, don’t worry. These tiny bugs in houseplant soil are your new friends that help you to have more lush plants. As you can see in the following pictures, they have long spring-like legs that help them to jump quickly, especially once they feel threatened.

Although they are beneficial for your houseplant, some people may want to get rid of springtails.

Isopods (pill bugs): Tiny bugs in your houseplant’s soil

You may find them in the soil of your houseplant. Against their ancient and awful look, they are your new friends who help your houseplant gain more nutrients from the soil. So, please be kind to them. Anyway, if you want to get rid of Isopods, click to tell you how to do it.

Conclusion

In the present article, we tried to show you the common tiny bugs in your houseplant soil that was including Root Aphids, Isopods (Pill bugs), Springtails, Mealybugs (Scales), Fungus gnats and Earwigs. The main object of this article was you identify the culprits, but if you fail to detect your annoying guests, take a picture of them and send it to “[email protected]”.

Do you have any experience with tiny bugs in your houseplant soil? which one? did this article succeed in helping you detect the bugs in your houseplant’s soil? Please feel free to ask questions or share your experience and ideas with our readers below this page. good luck!