Update: Rootopsy, Gnats and Something Else(s)
Shoud call it a back-up-a-bit-date really!
Doing the rootopsy was one thing, then going through the pics enough to be confident there was no root aphids was
another. Unsurprisingly, it then took me a long time to get the energy together to prepare them to share - and there was a transplant to get done in the meantime as well (more on that later).
First up -
WARNING to
@Virgin Ground (and anyone else to whom it may be relevant) that this post contains pics of fungus gnat larvae and they are not unlike tiny clearish whiteish worm things, maybe a bit like a caterpillar (not really, but i thought it best not tot take the chance, and want you
)
First up a few pics of the little flying things stuck on the sticky traps. Mostly fungus gnats (dusted in DE from their escape from the soil), and a few of some other kind. These other ones are similar to the fungus gnats but with some different features. I’ll post this post over at the Predators of Eden as well and hope that the usual brains trust is on hand to help.
This one below is definitely a fungus gnat, I’m pretty sure. But when I was researching about root aphids, I read that one way to distinguish them from gnats was that RA have 2 ‘tailpipes’ at the back end - so this feature on the gnats that’s visible here (and i was seeing it through the loupe at that time) was a contributor to my thinking I might have the RA. Pretty sure it’s a gnat though - that article I linked a few pages back on root aphids shows the ‘tailpipes’ as looking quite different. Phewf! I think...
These below are all something that’s not a FG - yet to be identified. They were also in the soil.
So now we get to the rootball! We saw quite a few crawling and lots flying out and there were larvae and eggs too - I think I managed a photo of an egg attached to a root. There were lots of those. There is also a pic that shows some damaged root - we saw lots of that - and a FG head poking out below. Culprit!
You can see how the larvae hangout along the root - munching into it. Li’l buggers!
Pics:
I can see why Panama had a stoppage at the end and I’m glad I chucked that pot of soil. There was just a population explosion there for a bit. I have taken heavier steps to mitigate in the grow space and numbers have dropped to nearly nothing, I just need to keep up with more IPM ‘prongs’ of approach and replenish the mosquito dink in the res more regularly.
I have used a product called Eco Neem to drench all the pots (that was back last week) and the tent got a complete clean, vinegar and followed up with a clove spray followed up with another essential oils based spray called Bug Boss that kills eggs (And mould too i think).
Right at the end of inspecting the rootball, this funky looking thing was amongst the soil. We were just working on cardboard put straight down on the grass tho’ so I’m not sure this critter was in the pot. Regardless, it looks to me like the kind of predator bug that uses those forward fronds to scoop up eggs. I want to know what it is so I had to include it. And maybe it did come out of the pot, we will never know
That’s the pest analysis done for now - hopefully for good! Or a good good while
The descriptions told me I need a Kalijam 
like I have room for more. Congrates on having another to feed.
I’m very happy with that 
JJJ! It is delicious.
I have decided it is a super charged turbo hit to the energy centres. I have to be careful how I use it as I’ve wiped myself out 3 times after having some and getting fully into a project. And have then been unable to get out of bed for more than the bathroom for a few days. I’m totally stoked to get these things done, and the garden has really benefitted, but I”m not supposed to do that so I’ll have to be more circumspect in future about when and how I use it. I know some folks who are going to love it!
....
Thanks h00k! I thought they were okay - all that is very reassuring,
