# strange bug in potted plant



## Ep3Drew (Feb 10, 2009)

i saw another bug id thread so i guess this is the place to post this

while cleaning my cham cage about 2-3 days ago i took out a potted plant, a type of schefflera if it matters, i saw little bugs that were under the pot in the bit of dirt that spilled out of the bottom..
they are all white, about twice the length of springtails, have i think 6 legs..
they look like walking rice..
anyway i had reptile mite spray so i sprayed them, then the spot the plant goes, then the topsoil of the plant 
i havent seen them again yet but i havent gone poking about in the cage again
oh and the plant is growing faster then i have ever seen it grow

i have no pics but any input would help


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## Ep3Drew (Feb 10, 2009)

after searching hundreds of pages of bug ID websites it seems they are whiteflys.. but it says whiteflys lay eggs on the underside of plant leaves and i see nothing but green on the underside.. supposedly they are very resistant to insecticides

im either going to toss the plant or drown the bugs out.. couldnt find anything that says they are harmful to viv inhabitants (aside from plant eating) 

am i really the only person who has had this problem?


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## cyberbrat (Jul 14, 2008)

I have not heard of that type of bug but am new to terrarium plants. I would isolate the plant out of fear all of my terrarium plants would be infected. Sometimes it is worth losing a few plants to try to protect your collection. Or maybe you could continue to treat the plant in a different area for a while until no more sightings. Did you research the treatment was safe for the animals in the terrarium? Good luck with the plant, maybe someone with more advice can help.


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## Ep3Drew (Feb 10, 2009)

well the infested plant is my cham cage.. in a 5 or 6 inch pot.. no substrate in the tank but i have a large potted ficus benjimana (probably spelled wrong) about 10inches away that i kinda moved around to check for the bugs and saw none.. niether the infested scheflera of ficus has come anywhere near touching any PDF plants

i havent taken the plant out of the cage because the bugs are just too small to be considered food and the cham really doesnt touch the plant ever.. i really just have it in there for humidity.. the cham drinks/sleeps in the 3 foot ficus..

i have looked and looked and couldnt find anything that says they could harm my cham and if i did or someone came forth with good info the plant would be out of there ASAP and i would just get a new plant

also the mite spray i used is reptile safe


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

White flies aern't going to hurt your chameleon. I don't think that's what they are, though as white fly like to hide on the undersides of leaves and in my experience aern't interested in hiding under pots. 
Lets have a pic, then we can ID it for sure


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

What's That Bug? Insect identification

Chances are it is not going to hurt your Chameleon...or Cham.

Be careful of too much pesticide or preventative chemicals. If it is really freaking you out....just replace the plant. ...it's a common easy to obtain plant.


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## Ep3Drew (Feb 10, 2009)

i had just about looked through the entire aphid section of the bug id site before finding whiteflys.. 
and i keep forgetting to get my camera from my gf.. ive been wanting to take pics of my new plants too
i set a reminder on my phone lol
ill have pics either later on or tommorow

also the spray i used is natural chemistry mite killer.. says you can directly spray reptiles (except frogs) with it and its safe.. apparently you can also clean glass with it.. how amazingly multi-purpose


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

from your initial description, it sounds like diplurans. They are primitively wingless like springtails, elongate and would resemble a grain of rice with legs. Plus they would be living in the soil as you described, whereas the whiteflies would be more likely to be found in the canopy of the plant. Here is a link...
Diplura


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## Ep3Drew (Feb 10, 2009)

the diplurans look similar but not a match.. the abdominal section was shorter and the last set of legs was more near the back.. no visible antennae or pincers and was almost solid white 

last night i drenched the soil hoping whatever it was would go to either the top or bottom.. so today i grab the plant and and poke around in the soil.. i saw a very small spider, which had a nice meeting with the bottom of my shoe, and tiny white dots that move (about half the lenth of a springtail).. nothing as big as the first ones i first saw.. tried to take a pic but they all came out horrible..

anyways i just repotted.. i grabbed the plant and pulled and all the soil came flying out which let me take a good look through the soil, but i saw nothing but a few of the tiny dot bugs.. and i didnt put anything covering the top layer of soil so i can see if anything comes back.. theres no perlite or vermerculite (sp) in the soil so anything thats white will be easy to spot

thanks for the replies


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