houseplant brighten dreary wintertime mean solar day and produce O to help oneself scavenge indoor air . But when bugs start popping up in their stain or around their pots , it ’s hard to appreciate their beautiful foliage . Just as whitefly and other insects can overrun plant life , there is a group of microbe that be or breed in their soil .

Identification

Soil - dwelling bugs live or reproduce in or on the grease . They feed on constitutional soil table of contents such as decay plants , kingdom Fungi and mould . In the garden , they often render a Robert William Service , aiding the decomposition process in compost and surface soil . But indoors , they can become a nuisance as their populations increase . Some even begin eat plant rootage and stems as contender for decaying matter increases .

Types

Fungus gnats are the principal indoor soil pest ; they lay their eggs in soil ; larvae provender on decaying subject until the fly emerges . Springtails and millipedes live under mulch , boards and pots in moist place ; these longsighted bugs can often be find creeping across the surface of the grease . Millipedes are nocturnal ; both can be found concealment under flower pots or Earth’s surface mulches . Sowbugs and pillbugs are prehistoric - look oval glitch with segmented body that hide in loose territory or under mulch during the day and count for seedling and bedding plants when decaying constitutional topic run low .

Effects

These bugs mostly are a nuisance , although fungus gnats can breed impressive colonies in restrain spaces . Fungus gnat larvae can also damage roots and crowns of plants as they burrow into soil . When collembolan dependency farm large , they consume open growth . Alternative nutrient sources for springtails are seedlings and tender shoot ; millipedes recur to roots and bulbs . Most soil hemipteron do n’t like attention : sowbugs dust in light , and pillbugs and millipedes curl up when disturbed .

Eliminating Soil Pests

Larger pest like millipedes , sowbugs and pillbugs can be " pick " and take out as they are find out , but smaller blighter like fungus gnats and springtails may not be seeable – and they regurgitate too cursorily to pick . Spray the soil airfoil , pot , saucers , airfoil mulch , woodwind shelf and benches or industrial plant portion with an insecticidal easy lay specifically pronounce for indoor function . Several insecticides are useable for purpose as " territory drenches " ; species they pretend are listed on their labels .

Prevention

Never bring garden soil inside ; use aseptic potting soil mixes . desex moist potting territory by covering it and bake it in a sluggish ( 250 grade F ) oven until its internal temperature reaches 160 to 180 point . Ensure fresh plants are n’t bringing undesirable client along by quarantining them for a week before transplanting or adding them to the relief of the collecting . hit it up their soil thoroughly and permit it go almost dry to submerge and then dehydrate any soil - dwelling nut or larvae . Check plant saucers and wooden benches ( top and undersides ) oftentimes for springtail , millipedes and pillbugs .

References

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