# Tiny white insects jumping on the medium surface: likely causes and fixes

> Tiny white insects jumping on the medium surface on cannabis is most often Springtails (harmless soil insects). How to tell them apart, the fix for each and what recovery looks like.

Also called: small white bugs in soil, white jumping bugs, springtails, tiny white bugs in water tray.

Run the checker with this sign: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diagnose/?at=roots&s=tiny-white-jumpers-soil

## Likely causes, most likely first

### Springtails (harmless soil insects) (Likely)

- Kind: Pest; urgency: Low urgency
- Fix: Nothing to fix: springtails eat decaying organic matter and fungi. Let the surface dry more between waterings if numbers bother you. Check the roots to rule out root aphids, which are pear-shaped, slow and sit on the roots.
- Recovery: Plant healthy; roots clean.
- Confirm: Root-ball and drainage-hole insect check: Tip the plant out and inspect the outer roots, pot bottom and drainage holes with a 10x loupe. Root aphids are small, pear-shaped and wingless, often with white waxy flecks; check several plants, and the drain trays, since colonies hide at the pot edge.
- Article: [What are the small white bugs in my soil?](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/answers/small-white-bugs-in-soil.md)

## Note

Guidance, not a guarantee. The checker weighs common causes against what you tell it; confirm with the tests before you treat, change one thing at a time and watch the new growth.