Hello, I've only started to have plants in my small apartment & love having them around...but when I saw these creepy bugs...it was upsetting. It is a mother of thousands plant & I noticed when I watered it that there were little shiny dark grey/silvery bugs...slim & in inches....about 1/8 long x 1/16 wide (or less), sort of oval shaped (with tapered ends) crawling around. I guess they surfaced when I watered it because I never saw them when the ground was dry. I don't know too much about this & would really appreciate some help! What are they called? & what should I use to get rid of them? Thanks, Daisy
It sounds like your creepy little bugs are sow bugs. These are minor pests, and will probably disappear as your plants dry out. This link is to a commercial site that has an excellent introduction to sow bugs. Because sow bugs require moisture, they are much happier outside or in soil that is kept moist. Mother of thousands is a common name that is usually applied to Kalanchoe daigremontana, but also sometimes K. tubiflora, and also to Sempervivum tectorum and Echeveria species -- all houseplants that readily produce vegetative offsets ("pups"). In all cases, these plants prefer drying out between waterings, especially as growth slows following the summer. Sow bugs will not want to set up housekeeping under these conditions, so give them an opportunity to escape.
