> Secondly, Ive noticed some little bugs in the soil that look like
> little knats (about 2mm long, bitty wing like items). On a quick glance
> through the tank I can spot maybe 4-5 right away. Are these dangerous
> for my plants? Is there a way I can easily idenify aphids?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> Garth Webb
Hi Garth,
I'll leave your question on winter resting to others. Can't
really answer it without knowing the species of CP you have growing. As
for the bugs, gnats are small flying insects. If the animals you're
seeing don't fly, then they're not gnats (although they could be gnat
larvae). In any case, although others have claimed they have had plant
damage form gnats, I have had fungus gnats for many years and never
noticed any significant damage. Aphids are small, often green or dark in
color and usually found near growth tips and undersides of leaves. They
definitely do damage but I would not expect to see them crawling around
to soil too much. One possibility is that you have springtails. Small
whitish animals that crawl around the soil surface and can hop a fair
distance when disturbed. As far as I can tell these are entirely harmless.
Wayne Forrester