--- title: "Hey guys, I’ve posted before but with very bad photos; I managed to…" description: "Hey guys, I’ve posted before but with very bad photos; I managed to get some better ones These tiny white bugs are everywhere… in the soil, all over my plant…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/RMUCgtNdQKSYMoC8OuVGNA?language=es" community: "Pests, diseases and problems" author: "Kayde" published: "2024-06-02T18:24:11.334159Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/H-YEAuGyRoqV8EX1l57PVA.webp?size=large" --- [Comunidad](https://getplanta.com/community.md?language=es) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md?language=es) # Hey guys, I’ve posted before but with very bad photos; I managed to… _Publicado por Kayde el 2024-06-02_ Hey guys, I’ve posted before but with very bad photos; I managed to get some better ones These tiny white bugs are everywhere… in the soil, all over my plant pots - NOT on the plants themselves however, they stick to the soil. Are these soil mites? This was my initial thought but then I also think they could maybe be springtails due to the long antennae, but they don’t jump so I’m heading more towards the mites? Any help identifying them please so I know how to deal with them? ![Adjunto 1 de 4](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/H-YEAuGyRoqV8EX1l57PVA.webp?size=large) ![Adjunto 2 de 4](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/TqM1QWpFTU6fAfsLsMTZlw.webp?size=large) ![Adjunto 3 de 4](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/Tz4KrIvaRla-tzE1InsNpw.webp?size=large) ![Adjunto 4 de 4](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/e9ZJw29JTjqBSxodnEIwdQ.webp?size=large) ## 13 comentarios ### Alyssa comentó el 2024-06-02 I’d want to say mealybug with the white and the long antennae but when you said that it’s not on your plants I’m stumped lol, usually mealybugs are prolific plant pests #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 I thought this too but my plants are happy and healthy and I barely see them crawling on the plants - I’ve seen one on a leaf before but only the one - but there’s an abundance of them in the soil, literally everywhere on top of the soil, I’m so lost to what they are #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 My thought was soil mites as I’ve read that they tend to stay in the soil and only climb the plant if there’s dying leaves etc but they’re pretty quick and just scurry along the top of the soil, there’s no harm to the plants at all #### Alyssa respondió el 2024-06-02 Hmmm it could be soil mites then, especially with the plants being fine lol, got an unidentified bugaroo there #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 I do hope it is just soil mites or something along those lines that are pretty harmless… don’t wanna wake up to dying plants one day🫣 ### S.R comentó el 2024-06-02 I think they look too big to be mites. My thought was mealy bugs as well 🤷🏻‍♀️ but if they aren’t bothering the foliage ….? Do you have any other plants at home? Have they been checked as well? #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 They’re really not big at all, I struggle to see them unless I’m looking really really closely, it was a miracle I was able to take the photos😂 ![Adjunto 1 de 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/lYKr_vroTRmtEYM9PMjDiQ.webp?size=large) #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 I have loads of plants on the same windowsill - my petunia and sweet William are infested with them, there’s a few in both my spider plants but literally only a tiny amount compared to the others - and absolutely none in all my strawberry seedling pots, but they’re all in the same place #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 It’s like they’ve only targetted a few plants and ignored my strawberries - attached a closer photo of the soil too ![Adjunto 1 de 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/7tyJU5DDvRLWCO1ACvmGGopgHB7FXYENM8FPFt5yiy0/svvoF0_TTOi10OQ-yual5A.webp?size=large) ### Riley comentó el 2024-06-02 Mealybugs may also live on soil and eventually spread to the leaves, so I suspect that that is what they are #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-02 I thought mealybugs had loads of legs tho? I believe this bug only has 6 or 8 and then long antenna and they move really fast - I managed to get a close up video of them but I don’t think there’s a way to post videos? All the pictures/videos I’ve seen of mealybug’s they are really fluffy looking and move quite slow, this bug is more spider looking than anything ### Kris comentó el 2024-06-03 I have the same issue 😭 but in my basil. They are not in the leaves only in the soil. Not sure if they are harmful or not ![Adjunto 1 de 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/-9PLPWV-Vyv9unaBKw0nGC4rTQfT1wPEofqDGdlDUE8/EkZYCspvSI2ba38fmxKjqQ.webp?size=large) #### Kayde respondió el 2024-06-04 I’m still thinking they’re mites tbh even tho everyone’s saying mealy bugs… they look nothing like mealys in person and if I google the photos I took it comes up with mites soooo🫣 --- _La comunidad de Planta (https://getplanta.com). La lectura está abierta a todo el mundo. Para publicar, comentar y dar 'me gusta', descarga la app de Planta: https://getplanta.com/download_