Small black bugs on Orange Tree soil.

14 years ago

Hi there!

I have a small Valencia orange tree and a dwarf navel orange tree in 22" pots. They're both about 3 feet tall and producing fruit (even though it's common place to find fruit in the dirt every morning). Lately I've noticed (I have to look very closely) these tiny black bugs cruising around the soil and the pot (not really on the plant itself). They MAY be winged creatures, but I'm not sure. They're smaller than a mosquito -- probably 1/4 - 1/2 the size. The majority of them are on the Valencia orange tree soil, but I've also noticed them on the navel pot and a few here and there on my other plants.

Like I said, they are hard to see unless I'm looking closely at the soil, but there seems to be a TON of them.

My question is... Does this ring a bell with anyone as to what these might be? Should I be concerned with these bugs and if so, what's the best way to get rid of them?

I water my orange trees once every 2-3 days usually. I use Miracle grow soil and organic citrus fertilizer.

Thanks in advance for any help!

-A worried gardener in Los Angeles

Featured Answer

Cristina Massachusetts Zone 6a

9 years ago

I found this online "But, while the adults rarely cause any problems, the young larvae will feed on the fine root hairs of your plants, causing them to lose vigor and develop yellow leaves. They can also tunnel into the base of cuttings or plant stems, which can be devastating for succulents, leeks, or onion seedlings in particular.

Fungus gnats search out moist soil in which to lay their eggs. The eggs are about 1/100 inch in length and laid in clusters. Larvae are translucent gray to white worms, about 1/4 inch long, with shiny black heads. These insects can infest a crop from wet, algae-covered areas in the garden, from contaminated potting soil or by flying short distances from plant to plant."

Fill a container with vinegar (red wine vinegar in my case) with a couple drops of dish soap added to break the surface tension. In a couple of hours there are around eight of them.

I also ordered this on Amazon.

I don´t want them all over my house when I get my meyer lemon tree inside. I hope this information helps.

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Comments (12)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
Of course, this will be a WAG (wild arse guess) but whenever I hear anyone talk about lots of little black or dark critters in the soil, I think of springtails. They would be more common in a peaty MiracleGro potting mix as opposed to something coarser in texture.

Do you notice these little things mostly when you water?
blazeaglory
14 years ago
I would suggest fungus GNATS. I find them in parts of my moist pots and soil. Plump little bugs with clear wings almost too invisible and small to see. When they are crawling (as opposed to flying) you can barely see the wings. The gnats in the pic are DEAD.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
I can't say that I 've ever noticed 'a ton' of adult fungus gnats hanging around in the soil....but maybe we need to hear more about the behavior of these critters from rancho. Like has he been bombarded with annoying little gnats flying all over the place? It wouldn't be the first time that we didn't find out all the details.

But what I want to know, blaze, is how the HECK you managed to collect so many? Lol
blazeaglory
14 years ago
I googled all of them..haha
blazeaglory
14 years ago
Funny I was thinking the same thing about how the heck that person got all those GNATS! (forgot to post)
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
lolol....that's funny...you devil.
tokeel13
12 years ago
Did you ever identify those critters, tiny black bug, some with wings. Termites,? Please, if you now know what these are I would like to know, joined gw just to message you Rancho/Anyone.
Deborah Parker
10 years ago
blazeaglory are these like the ones you show i have these little black bugs in my kitchen and living room when i open the window they are so small they come though the screen so i cant open my window.something has bit me left huge hard knot itches bad
darlene sexton
9 years ago
I think I have these same bugs, today as I was vacuuming I noticed a lot of tiny bugs where the wall meets the ceiling in my living room & a few in the kitchen & bathroom. I stuck the vacuum hose nozzle up there & kept vacuuming them up, but they seemed to keep reappearing out of nowhere. HELP, WHAT ARE THESE & WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM, HOW DO I KEEP THEM AWAY?
myermike_1micha
9 years ago
Darlene, we need to make sure they are not fruit flies verses gnats. Can you take a pic of one? Do you see them around aging fruit anywhere?
Jontte Kinnu
9 years ago
Soil mites?