--- title: "Hello! Relatively new plant owner here, I bought a Peace…" description: "Hello! Relatively new plant owner here, I bought a Peace approximately half a year ago - about a month or so ago, I saw lots of tiny white bugs surfacing in my…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/SRuqbab2NfVMwUslNn4w9X" community: "Pests, diseases and problems" author: "Erin Jones" published: "2025-11-07T18:27:45.778207Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/LkETKhEIdWbLI3HFB4-qZrka7N5xCnBC6JcP26Jr1YQ/PM2E86EKRsipJlisZ1LfGg.webp?size=large" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md) # Hello! Relatively new plant owner here, I bought a Peace… _Posted by Erin Jones on 2025-11-07_ Hello! Relatively new plant owner here, I bought a Peace approximately half a year ago - about a month or so ago, I saw lots of tiny white bugs surfacing in my pot. I googled it but I couldn’t get a clear answer. Today, they’ve returned (see photo below) and I’ve looked into it and most people say that they’re harmless whereas a few people are saying to try and do what I can to get rid of them. Looking for anyone to lend a bit of advice on what to do? I would personally prefer not to have them, but if they’re beneficial to the soil I’ll keep them. Thanks a bunch! ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/LkETKhEIdWbLI3HFB4-qZrka7N5xCnBC6JcP26Jr1YQ/PM2E86EKRsipJlisZ1LfGg.webp?size=large) ## 10 comments ### NamasteWithMyPlants commented on 2025-11-07 Not sure if this is correct but if it was me, I would take plants out of that soil and throw soil out. Clean plant and roots with 3:1 water:hydrogen peroxide solution. And repot new fresh soil. #### Erin Jones replied on 2025-11-07 I’ll definitely repot it soon and look into the hydrogen peroxide. Thanks! ### Lina commented on 2025-11-08 Those look like fungus gnat larvae and they eat roots so yeah defo repot as NamasteWithMyPlants suggests! You’ll find your peace lilly will thank you so much for it #### Erin Jones replied on 2025-11-08 Thanks for your comment! I’ll repot them this weekend! ### Erica commented on 2025-11-08 if those are in fact, fungus gnats, as the previous person suggested, I would do more than just clean the soil… I currently have an infestation myself, and I’ve been using mosquito bits which you brew into tea and use it to water your plants to kill the eggs and larva… you can also get sticky traps and/or an electric bug zapper to get rid of the adultss… nip it in the bud before the population gets out out of control!!!! #### Erin Jones replied on 2025-11-08 Definitely seems like they are, it doesn’t seem too out of control yet so hopefully I can get rid of them before they mature. Thanks for the advice! ### Waspinator commented on 2025-11-09 Those show antennae clearly (especially those top two), which means they're springtails. They're harmless to plants and often used in terrariums to help control/prevent mold. If you want to confirm the ID, these jump rather impressively when disturbed, and fungus gnat larvae wouldn't be able to do that #### Erin Jones replied on 2025-11-09 Thought they were springtails as well but they don’t seem to jump when I try to disturb them. I’ll try again when I’m home, thanks for the help! ### Rhus commented on 2025-11-09 Sometimes you have to really poke them to get them to jump. My springtails are, for some reason, ridiculously confident, and confirming they were springtails took trying to grab one with tweezers 😅 the ones you find in outdoor soil are significantly more jumpy! #### Erin Jones replied on 2025-11-09 Good point 😅 I think they are springtails! Thanks for your help!!! --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_