insect on ariocarpus wool..termite?

[tudedude]

I have what looks like a bunch of tiny termite looking critters roaming around the wool of an ariocapus. At first I thought they were thrips but upon closer inspection with a magnifying glass they look termites. Anyone know what there are? Sorry I don't have a macro lens so I can't take a pic.

[CactusBoss]

It might be scale? Idk though without a pic.

[tudedude]

Definitely not scale or the usual suspects. Looks like microscopic termites. I think they where munching on the wool. Not sure,I didn't see any damage to the plant and they've been on that thing for weeks. I just dunked the whole cactus in insecticidal soaps. More paranoid for my house than the ariocarpus.

[CactusBoss]

Definitely not scale or the usual suspects. Looks like microscopic termites. I think they where munching on the wool. Not sure,I didn't see any damage to the plant and they've been on that thing for weeks. I just dunked the whole cactus in insecticidal soaps. More paranoid for my house than the ariocarpus.

I've never heard of termites on cacti. I think they prefer wood not cacti!

[tudedude]

yeah, I think they're too small to be termites. They're maybe a millimeter long, but kind of resemble their body shape.

[CactusBoss]

I'd go look under Pests & Diseases and see what to do about scale insects cause that's what I think they are. Does the cactus have any sort of scarring on it? They could also be mealy bugs but I can't tell without a picture. Sorry. It may not be anything major either idk

[Lisa.nick]

Hi all! Sorry if this is hitting on an older post, but I have termites in my raised bed.

Last year my roommates and I built a very cheap raised bed with some treated and some untreated. I was weeding and hand tilling the soil the other day and I noticed termites in the untreated wood. I was very much concerned and was going through some of the sites like http://www.pestremovalguide.com/termite-infestation/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , http://citybugs.tamu.edu/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to get an solution to the termite menace.

I'm wondering how concerned I should be about my vegetables (assortment of tomatoes, peppers, and squash) I am about to plant in that bed. I've been getting a bit overwhelmed with all the info out there, some saying not to worry about them attacking plants others saying termites eating only dead cellulose it a common misnomer.

Also, any safe/organic ways to kill these buggers? I've read some mixed reviews on borax.

Thank you for any insight!

Regards
Lisa..

[adetheproducer]

Miight be springtails I get them on my cacti a lot. Here is the best picture I could get, the keep moving.

[hegar]

I also thought, that you could be dealing with spring tails, insect family Collembola. These are pale grey very small insects, that mostly just feed on decaying organic matter. There are a few plant feeders among them too, but I have yet to encounter any of those.
The other kind of spring tails are pretty common in soil.

Harald