# Good bugs or bad bugs?



## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

So I have an orchid that's been potted for a few years and I was thinking of putting it in my vivarium once I get everything set up. Out of curiosity I picked up the sphagnum on the top of the soil and there are springtails! And LOTS of em. Or at least I think they're springtails... teensy little white bugs that jump kinda like fleas right? Anyway I was excited until I saw these other little winged bugs crawling around. They're fewer in numbers than the springtails and slightly smaller than a common fruit fly. They do fly but only from one bit of moss to another. (I tried to get a picture but I have no macro lens... They're teeny!) I was planning on seeding my viv with a bit of the soil from the orchid pot to get some springtails going (the soil is organic with no fertilizer). 

Anyway here's my question: Are these little winged bugs bad? I'll be sad to scrap such a convenient discovery due to some potentially bad critters.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Meet the Fungus Gnat.

Where conditions are good for Springtails - they are most often good for Fungus Gnats. Frogs will eat both - small frogs will anyhow.

Fungus Gnats are not dangerous to you or your frogs - just annoying to you. 

s


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

Hooray! Thanks Scott 

How harmful are these to my plants? I googled them and it seems they get a bad rap because the larvae will kill the plants by burrowing into the roots? Or will they stick to eating everything but my plants in a vivarium?


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I've had them in tanks before without any huge consequence to my plants. Your frogs should help keep them under control.

Like I mentioned though - make sure this is a small frog tank.

Large frogs oftentimes cannot be bothered by small foods. I've seen springtails swarming a tank with Terribilis in it - they didn't even look at them.

I'm not saying this is always the case - but small frogs tend to look at all food sources equally. 

s


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

Gah! All of the frogs I'm looking into are big-uns! Well if you know of any way to kill off Fungus Gnats and maintain the springtails drop me a hint .


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## swirlygig (Dec 4, 2008)

i have those buggers all over my new 2 month old tank too...annoying! 

So they are bad and we should kill them?

I don't have frogs yet, but I sure don't want them killing my plants...?


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## Z5guy (Jan 7, 2009)

Hey everybody, Im a grower at a large wholesale plant greenhouse and fungus gnats do give us tons of problems in our houses. Unfortunately you can't get rid of them useing normal methods becuase of the danger to the frogs but there's several things you can do. If you don't have any frogs in your viv you can dry down the humidity levels and let the soil dry out a little and that should kill most of the fungus gnats, another way is to put a slice of potato in the tank pushed into the soil and the larvae will go strait for it, they cannot resist it and after a day or two you can just get rid of the slice with all the larvae in it (it will also center the larvae in one spot so your frogs might have a better shot at eating some) this method migt not work as well with bigger tanks although you can use multiple slices. You can also get rid of any moss, fungi, and/or algae on the soil surface as it is a vital part of the larvae diet and cannot proceed to adulthood very well without it. You want to focus on the larvae as they are the ones that do the damage, the adults have no mouthparts and only live a short period to lay eggs to algae, etc...


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

Ooo thanks for the tips! Ya I won't be trying to transfer any springtails over into my viv until I know the gnats are gone. There was some old sphag moss on the topsoil of the orchid's pot so I already took that and the first 1/4" of soil out and tossed it. I'll try the potato trick too. Even though they may not harm the frogs, I plan on having at least a couple of plants in there that are precious to me and I'd rather that they didn't become snacks for fungus gnat larvae! Much appreciated!


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## swirlygig (Dec 4, 2008)

Would Dry Ice kill the larva?


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## Marinarawr (Jan 14, 2009)

I did read something about dry ice but I don't want to kill the springtails. It's not on the top of my list of concerns anymore but thank you for the idea!!


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