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Tiny ant sized black centipede like insects

flubbafflubbaf Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hi, I’m new to gardening and have spotted very tiny (size of small ants) black insects with many legs like centipedes. Can someone please help me understand what these are and if they are like pests that kill the plants on the garden? I’m attaching a photo as well.

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited May 2021
    Difficult to make out, but could it be a caterpillar of some kind, such as that of a Peacock Butterfly?
    Edit: just noticed you said ant-sized, so not the above.  Can you get a closer photo?
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • flubbafflubbaf Posts: 5

  • flubbafflubbaf Posts: 5
    Thanks for the response. Yes, they are very tiny. As you can see on the petals on a flower. Not sure if they came with a plant or some compost I bought.
  • valerierobertsvalerieroberts Posts: 726
    I can’t tell you what they are but, there’s an old saying that goes- fast is a friend and slow is a foe. Do they move quickly ! Valerie 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I've zoomed-in and pretty sure they are caterpillars of some kind, but not sure what - maybe @wild edges would know?

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Hard to say. It looks like a caterpillar and from the size has probably recently hatched out. There's a few that overwinter as eggs ready to hatch out in the spring so I would guess that's what you're seeing here. Quite a few caterpillars also change colour after a moult or two so these might look totally different in a couple of weeks. Leave them to it and be rewarded with an amazing moth or butterfly in a couple of months.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • flubbafflubbaf Posts: 5
    Hi All, thanks for responding. They seem to be growing in number day by day and I see that they are more around the Dahlia plant. Also, I noticed they are weaving thin webs. I’ve added a picture. Is it better to discard the plant? I’m worried because I have small kids and don’t want them to get any rashes or something due to these. 
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Could they be gypsy moth caterpillars?  The first photo on the right (with the green leaves) in this article has some tiny ones looking like yours:

    https://www.observatree.org.uk/can-help-us-understand-distribution-gypsy-moth-britain-dr-max-blake-forest-research/


    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • flubbafflubbaf Posts: 5
    Thank you. Do you know how I can get rid of those? Any spray or pesticide that I can buy?
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