Help with Identifying types of bugs

[Steve Manning]

Hello everybody. I hope some bug expert can determine what these are. My system is brand new. Maybe a month with fishes and plants. Maybe two months.

The whole system is infested with these. Even the outside of my 275 gallon fish tank you can find them crawling around. My system is outside in the open.

Can someone tell me if they are aphids or larva? There are so many of them I would need an army of lady bugs to eat them all.  I really dont want to get into spraying chemicals on my food. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks!!

[Vlad Jovanovic]

I'd be real interested in how that works out with the fish, since it does seem to put the hurt on so many different greenhouse pests...

Well here's where it gets confusing...There are 50 or 60 synonyms (scientific names) for the 'two spotted/red mite' sometimes they are referred to as one species sometimes as two? I do know that after the mites with the two spots goes into hibernation, some come out red. Adding to my (and probably some of the literature's in some cases) confusion...So I've gone to calling them "red spider mites" even if they aren't red at the time...So who knows...anyways red or spotted, I pretty much start trying to destroy 'em as soon as I notice them, because one thing I am not confused on, is that the earlier I've been able to catch them, the easier it was to get rid of them and the less plants I've lost.

[mary proctor]

try using diatomaceous earth food grade with a puffer.  It won't hurt the fish but will kill the pests.

[Steve Manning]

Hey guys.  Just wanted to let you know those lil bastards pretty much cleared up on their own.  Guess the universe did owe me a favor cause I am a cool guy.  Still ate some of my plants before they left....

Now I gotta battle with the F in squirrels eating my corn. I swear this is turning into a full time job.  Gonna put my desk outside with my pellet gun next to me.

[TCLynx]

Try bird Netting on a light weight frame over the garden area to see if that helps against the squirrels.  I've had a terrible time with them too.

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Steve when you say "cleared up"...you mean, grew into fully winged adults and flew away? Cuz these things go into a phase after their second pupal instar (where yours seemed to be at when you took the photos) where they quit feeding, and go into hiding and become totally inactive (hiding in any dark crevices) and then emerge as "full grown adults"...This only takes a day or two...hopefully they've cleared out though, like you said...

Steve Manning said:

Hey guys.  Just wanted to let you know those lil bastards pretty much cleared up on their own.  Guess the universe did owe me a favor cause I am a cool guy.  Still ate some of my plants before they left....

Now I gotta battle with the F in squirrels eating my corn. I swear this is turning into a full time job.  Gonna put my desk outside with my pellet gun next to me.

[Steve Manning]

OH mf. firefox just crashed after typing all what I was gonna say.

I never really saw any of them grow wings, fly away or turn into anything. My plants are pretty much bug free. Plants are looking good.  I did see a bunch of hardened/dried up (that did not "go into hiding"). They were yellow and looked like tiny larva.  Maybe they came from the trees, from that brown seed looking crap that went EVERYWHERE.  I did find them things on everything if you looked long enough. Found them 40 feet away on shovel handles, fences, etc. 

Cayenne pepper huh. Worth a shot. Even building a pvc green house gonna cost me a couple hundred. Good thing the wife is on my side

Thanks for all the help guys!