I'm a novice gardener and new to the forum. This is my first post and I'm kind of freaked out. So, please help me if you can. I was watering my plants today and I notice these little white bugs (smaller than a grain of rice) bouncing around in the bottom of my violet's outer pot. So, I freaked. Ran to the kitchen, and washed the pot. I checked the under side of my violet's leaves, yet there were no signs of parasites. I also checked the bottom of the inner pot that my violet is planted in, and I didn't see any of the little bugs. *wiped the sweat from my brow* THEN, I went to water my lipstick plant that is next to that violet. I notice little things moving in the soil when I poured the water on it. AHH! Now, I don't know what these bugs are. My mother said that some bugs are not bad for plants...WHICH I KNOW. But, I'm afraid that these might be. HOWEVER, I checked the under side of the leaves of my lipstick plant and there were no signs of aphids or such. Nor has my plants showed any signs of decay or dying. I hope you were able to get past my storytelling to figure out my problem.I tried to take pictures, but the effort was futile. These little buggars are just TOO SMALL to find them in the photos. I want to keep my plants healthy and happy. SO...please help this novice. Please? What could this pest be? Could it be harmful to my plants? Or could it be helpful?
This sounds like springtails to me. Which if I recall correctly, will not harm your plants. They feed off of nematodes and organic materials in the soil. Google them and you will find all kinds of information pertaining to them. See if this is what you have by looking there.
