It could be lacebugs. Take a look at these pictures from the Univ of Tennessee to see if they match what you are seeing. You can also put a small sample into a tightly close plastic bag and show the sample to people in a trusted local nursery.

Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Azalea Lacebugs

Upon further research on this website, I think that my rhodie may have whitefly and that this is what I see floating in the water above the soil. I know I can apply insectisidal oils, but is there a more organic approach? How do I get them out of the soil? Flush the plant with something?

Surprise, jbfoodie! You have already been given a good organic control for whitefly! Insecticidal soaps, like Safer, are organic controls derived from potassium salts and work as dessecating agents. They must be sprayed directly on the insects and should not be sprayed on foliage when the temps are above 85F. Read the individual product labels for more details. Spray the plant and nearby soil in the early morning hours. And yes, do not forget to spray both sides of the leaves.

Other options: White fly can also be controlled by introducing Encarsia formosa, a white fly parasite. The little wasps lay their eggs in the white fly larvae and kill them. But if you've got a major outbreak then the Encarsia won't be able to cope, as they don't multiply fast enough. For that, you'll need to give them a thorough spray with -yup, that is right- insecticidal soap. Note: Encarsia works best in greenhouse settings.

Can one mix a solution and water it into the soil? This Rhodie is in a pot and there are lots and lots of little white larvae floating around. Is it safe to plant this in a bed with other plants? After I have sprayed/soaked it with insecticidal oil? Also, the leaves are beginning to silver a bit. Is this from whitefly or something else? Maybe this plant is just too diseased, though it has beautiful flowers when it is healthier.

1. Can one mix a solution and water it into the soil? Yes, I would. But you have to spray the leaves also... both sides.
2. Is it safe to plant this in a bed with other plants? After I have sprayed/soaked it with insecticidal oil? Yes (specially if lacebugs do not bother the other plants) but I would still resolve the insect problem first.
3. The leaves are beginning to silver a bit. Is this from whitefly or something else? Whiteflies will not cause the leaves to discolor in such a way. Heavily infested foliage takes on a yellow, mottled appearance when you have whiteflies.

Lacebug adults and nymphs will make the leaves discolor in that way though. The lacebugs feed on the undersides of leaves by piercing the leaves with their mouthparts and sucking the plant juices. This causes a mottled, silvery or white discoloration, known as stippling, on top of the leaf where the chlorophyll has been removed. The undersides of leaves are covered with dark brown to black, sticky spots of excrement. It happens to my Hino Crimsons but the nearby planted Encore Azaleas are bypassed.

You may want to take samples of foliage and the pests to a local nursery in a tightly sealed plastic bag. After all, you want to apply the right controls to the correct pest. While it would be possible to have both pests, I would lean on a lacebug infestation. Again, scoop up samples and take them to a local nursery (not HD or Lowe's) or to your Extension Service.
Luis

Check out the Whitefly Info provided by the University of California...

Here is a link that might be useful: Whitefly Info and Controls

Luis, you are a gem! Thanks for all the good info. I am sure that I have more than one pest, but the various descriptions of what is on my Rhodie do not fit neatly into one category. I will take your advice and bring a leaf or two to my nursery. I have sprayed with pesticidal oil and will have to wait and see what results I have with it. My azaleas seem to be blighted with PM, which has never been a problem before. I just purchased some new ones from Greer in Oregon and these seem to be the ones that are infected. Oh well, I will keep trying.

You are welcome. Garden Watch Dog (http://gardenwatchdog.com/) still has them positively rated. It is possible you got them from them (whiteflies) as they tend to be a "somewhat" common in greenhouses.

Oh, do take some soil samples to the nursery in addition to the leaf samples. Just in case.

All this feedback has driven me into research mode. I now think that I have spider mites, because there is webbing and the silvering on the top of the leaves is the same as pictures of the damage this mite does. The only problem is that I do not see any mites (brown/black/red) only the sticky white mite-looking things on the leaves and the little white worms/larvae in the soil. In either case the pesticidal oil should help. I will bring in some leaves, but cannot do so until next week. It seems strange to me that I cannot find any pictures on the internet that match my pest/bug.

I hope my copy/pastes do not fail me now...

The resulting webpages show several pictures at the top of the page and then folow with links where you may be able to find more. Also, be aware that some pests differ from region to region (color may be off or different). But this should be a start. Have "fun".

For whiteflies, try going to:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=picture+whitefly&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-top&n=40&fl=0amp;x=wrt

For azalea lacebugs, try:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=picture+azalea+lacebug&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-top&n=40&fl=0amp;x=wrt

For spider mites, try:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=picture+spider+mite&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-top&n=40&fl=0amp;x=wrt

Thanks for the links. I still cannot find a match to the white mite-looking thing. It has no wings, at least not that I can tell. They seem to stick to the sides of the new leaves and sit on top of the older ones. It has long delicate legs, but it is very small. I tried taking a picture to post here, but I need to master my new digital camera first, since the 'bugs' are so small. I wonder if Rhodies/Azaleas in California have some side strain of one of the usual pests. As you mentioned pests differ from region to region. OR my poor Rhodie is just infested with multiple bugs, and therefore, the symptoms do not match anything as they are a conglomeration of many. When I get back from Long Beach I will take some leaf and soil samples to my nursery.

I have a photo of the nasty white worms; I'm desperate to find out what they're called so I can figure out if they're bad or not.

I bougth a Benjamina tree from my local Rona yesterday; I've already fallen in love with it... BUT, the soil is covered in little white worms that are moving around; they're opaque in colour and are about 1-2cm in legnth.

PHOTO attached at the link below

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:82168}}

I think I found the answer on Yahoo Answers, link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: White Millipedes / Pest but not much of a worry

The 'worms' do appear to have multiple pairs of legs in your photo...I think you are correct in you own answer :)