Plants affected
Many pot plants, especially those grown in peat, coir or other types of soil-less compost.
Symptoms
Small wingless insects, up to 2mm long and often white, crawl
among the compost of pot plants. They are most noticeable
after watering when they come up onto the surface before burrowing
back in the compost, or they may be flushed out through the
drainage holes and be seen floating on the drainage water.
Other white insects of similar size found among the roots of pot plants are likely to be root mealybugs. That sap-feeding type of pest is relatively immobile in the soil compared with the much more active springtails. The latter also has a pair of antennae visible on the insect's head, whereas those on mealybugs are microscopic.
Cause
These insects are springtails, so-named because many species (not Onychiurus spp.) have a forked structure folded under their abdomen; when flicked out it propels the insect into the air and helps the creature escape predators or adverse conditions. Many species of springtail of various colours occur in garden soil but the types most frequently found in potting compost are white, such as Onychiurus species. Springtails are also sometimes known as collembola.
Control
None is necessary. These are harmless creatures that feed on fungal growth and decaying plant material. They are dependent on damp conditions and so will not spread away from pot plants or become a nuisance in the home.