Hard to tell from pics but I’m guessing not springtails. Mine don’t bother climbing glass or plastic the way these appear to. There are different kinds of springtails though so maybe people have had other experiences
To stop a strange spread like this and buy some thinking time I’ve used double sided pest tape typically used in gardens. find on amazon . Before removing the paper I cut it into one inch wide strips. Then I remove the paper on one side and stick it to the walls of the container out of reach of our pets. I make a ring around the whole thing and then remove the last of the tape so that it will catch any undesirables trying to spread. Might work for you.
Faicuk 20-Pack Dual-Sided Yellow Sticky Traps for Flying Plant Insect Like Fungus Gnats, Aphids, Whiteflies, Leafminers - (6x8 Inches, Twist Ties Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I9KUKLQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_1X9RMSK9QT5K3QQ23FSY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is what I used.
This works like magic. I put these in and didn’t water until the soil was dry on top and I was good to go in a week and a as half.
Faicuk 20-Pack Dual-Sided Yellow Sticky Traps for Flying Plant Insect Like Fungus Gnats, Aphids, Whiteflies, Leafminers - (6x8 Inches, Twist Ties Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I9KUKLQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_1X9RMSK9QT5K3QQ23FSY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Faicuk 20-Pack Dual-Sided Yellow Sticky Traps for Flying Plant Insect Like Fungus Gnats, Aphids, Whiteflies, Leafminers - (6x8 Inches, Twist Ties Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I9KUKLQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_kfX8FbXS9BA3N?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I originally posted and was going to say use DE but know it sucks when it gets wet and clumps, but you know that. I just had some fungus gnats (and thrips before that; be aware you will probably get bugs if you bring any outside plants in. Obvious in hindsight, but oh well) and they seem to be gone after:
1) I got these because they were the cheapest I could find. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they are just a non-water based adhesive on yellow paper, so no need to get fancy. These trap the mature flying ones and help prevent spreading the infestation, but doesn't get to the cause.
2) Airflow over the top of the growing medium. Fungus gnats need wet conditions at the surface to reproduce and grow, so if you have a fan to move the air at the medium the soil will dry faster than they can grow and reproduce. I think sand would do something similar if you couldn't get a fan because it dries out quicker than soil. Or maybe the sand helps because it is more dense, dunno.
I am growing in all coco and water 2x per day with a little runoff each time and haven't had any fungus gnats in the tent. I have always had a fan blowing around the top of the coco though. I got them on other experimental plants like the gardenia. And for these for fun plants, I am only watering every 1-3 days, but there is no fan.
And a note, to get rid of the thrips I used Monterey with spinosad and it killed them all in one go. I tried a second round of spinosad for the gnats and it either didn't do anything or took a few days which coincided with me doing the above steps. I think and have read that the spinosad could work, but it needs to be applied to the growing media, not just sprayed onto leaves. I did spray the top of my coco the second time, but again, don't know if it was that or the other stuff in combination.
Get a pack of sticky traps. Cut a piece to fit the side of planter ans just let it sit for a couple weeks. This will capture all sorts of stuff coming from or to the plant. I had an issue with gnats (as a lot of IKEA plants do). These traps fixed the problem.
These are the ones I have...
https://www.amazon.com/Trapro-20-Pack-Dual-Sided-Whiteflies-Leafminers/dp/B01I9KUKLQ?th=1
For bugs use the sticky tape. I use this and never get any bugs Faicuk 20-Pack Dual-Sided Yellow... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I9KUKLQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Keep a drier bin first of all, use shredded cardboard
Then get yourself some Yellow sticky pads .
Good luck. Couple other things I do - I put filters over my air intakes. I use furnace filters cut down to the size I need. And for pest management I'd keep a yellow sticky trap down near the base of your soil, catches any stray insects and gives you early warning to trouble. Fungus gnats love soil: https://www.amazon.com/Trapro-20-Pack-Dual-Sided-Whiteflies-Leafminers/dp/B01I9KUKLQ
Yellow sticky traps work great and are cheap. I keep one near my houseplants at all times.
Link.
Yellow sticky traps work great and are cheap. I keep one near my houseplants at all times.
Link.