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Hi all, purchased a plant from IKEA the other day. Within a few days I noticed a load of tiny black round mites/aphids/weird things on the walls, hardly noticeable as so small.
They seem to grip the walls incredibly well and don't come off
Very tiny, almost perfectly round. Less than a mm in diameter if not smaller
Close up pic does not show any kind of head or legs - just a black ball. They leave a brown smudge when wiping off with tissue paper
At first was not sure they were actually insects as could not see any visible movement..? But observing over a few hrs, they move about from place to place
Google coming up blank - lots of similar mites / aphids but nothing that looks like my little friends
Any ideas anyone? Will try attaching a pic below
https://postimage.me/image/20241017-135347.UTAPoQ
https://postimage.me/image/20241017-135347.UTAPoQ
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They’re young meatballs, let them do their thing and grow, later you can cut all their legs off and drop them in hot gravy!
More seriously though - them leaving a mark when you remove them doesn't tally with your observation of them moving around - they'd leave marks everywhere if they were mobile. What you're describing sounds like spider poop - which can be like hard, almost plastic-y dots that are very tenaciously stuck to the wall. Those would obviously not move about through. What do your observations consist of?
Dibs on your bikes through
I googled "insect dark round no legs"
Whatever they are, I suggest you keep a few in a sealed ziploc bag in case anyone gets ill and they need to be analysed by a lab. Then incinerate the plant asap.
Ha cheers guys! Def not spider poo as have lots of that in conservatory... But that's what I initially thought. I marked the position a few of the little buggers and left them for about an hour and they all moved to different places... So they are alive!
Thanks for that link - did stumble upon that but was not too conclusive
Plant is now outside and will be incinerated shortly
Weirdly -they grip like mad, can't easily brush them off and the few I have tried to remove have taken a little tiny bit of paint off the wall! Almost like they are latching onto to it.
What sort of plant is it? And where was it grown?
Weirdly -they grip like mad, can’t easily brush them off and the few I have tried to remove have taken a little tiny bit of paint off the wall! Almost like they are latching onto to it.
Imagine what they will do when they latch onto your face.
Kormoran - good shout but no idea! I have emailed IKEA. It's the one on the right in this link
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/succulent-potted-plant-with-pot-succulent-white-30546377/
@joshvegas! Ha ha yes this is what I am mildly concerned about. Think I managed to get rid of most of them now (must have been about 20/30 of the little buggers)
I rescind my dibs on your bikes.
This is where facehuggers come from!
Spider Mite eggs? Difficult to tell from the photo; red spider mites?
Was also going to say spider mite eggs - as above - as they look familiar.
Funnily enough, they arrived on a (gifted*) IKEA plant and spread like wildfire to neighbouring plants. Wasn't fun!
*No, it couldn't play the trombone or type the works of Shakespeare on a typewriter.
Timba / hightension... Interesting thanks... Weird thing is though I don't think the eggs will have the ability to move on their own? Unless they are being moved about to drive me crazy! I marked about 5 of the buggers with a pencil dot and after leaving them for an hour or so, they all moved about 30cm away towards the window.
Got a few caught in a test tube so will see if I can find someone with a microscope! My pest controller mate is a bit flummoxed also. Maybe they are baby face huggers after all.
Maccruiskeen - you sure you still want to rescind that offer 😉 ha
To be fair a nukeproof should be still after the obvious solution is carried oug.
And if it doesn't you probably have them on the trade description act
Maccruiskeen – you sure you still want to rescind that offer ? ha
And risk further contamination? No thanks - you can keep your weird Porton Down escapees to yourself!
Sure they’re not tardigrades? They’re almost indestructible! This one’s playing a sad tune just in case they’re it’s relatives…
