Pest has surfaced...

[Scott Mooney]

Hi everybody,

I have noticed a pest has come up in my system.

Last night I noticed hundreds of little black specs.  I thought at first that it could just be some peat came up from the media during a flood stage, but quickly noticed they were high up on my plants as well. I noticed they were bugs on closer observation.

These bugs look like little mites. I have been wiping them off of hard surfaces when I can, but I'm sure there are far many more of them.  What could they be, and how can I eradicate them ?

My system is indoor, and my fish are going to be harvested for food, so I have to be careful with what I add to my tank/beds.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Robert C. Wood]

Do you have any pictures of them that we can see?

[Scott Mooney]

I've tried but they are too small for me to get a clear pic.  They look like black specks on the leaves of my plants, and look like a super fine coffee ground on my pvc.  Up close they almost look like some kind of mite.

I will continue to try to get a pic.

[Pam DeLong]

Scott,

I did a brief online search, which you may have already done...

Here's an article on black flies & spider mites and Mite Control with Beneficial Insects and Natural Insecticides

Hope those might be helpful.

 

[Scott Mooney]

Thanks Pam for the links!

[Scott Mooney]

Ok, so I went for the quick fix... or knockdown at least.  I stripped my small grow bed of it's plants.  So far the large bed looks unaffected so I left it be.

All of the plants were thoroughly washed in cold tap water, and I do not see any of the little critters on them.

The bed has been flooded with boiling water.  Yes, I can hear the gasps of shock and disappointment over here... However, while the bioload of my FT is still very small, this is a very viable and effective option.  Since the system is in my home, adding more insects really isn't an option, pesticides (even natural/organic) make me leery since I plan on eating my fish, and there are just too many for natural repellants at this point (plus I do not want them venturing elsewhere in the house).

So a few thousand cooked buggies later, I'm off to go replant. Wish me luck!

I'll keep you posted.

-Scott