Tiny White Jumping Bugs

Hi - I recently topped up my indoor plantpots with a 50/50 manure and compost mix. Now (a month later) the plants look fine, but the soil is teeming with these nasty little white jumping bugs:



They are about 1mm in lenth, and will jump like a flea if prodded with a pencil. I'm worried that these things may either: crawl into my house and eat the woodwork, hatch into biting flies, or damage the plant.

Can anyone identify these things and tell me what problems if any they may cause? - and if they are a problem, how to kill them.

Many thanks for your thoughts...

 

Not sure if the size matches but They look a bit like fleahoppers. I haven`t seen those before other than in books, so I`ll be keeping my eyes open.


Not sure if this will help,

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/bug-forum/?q=gallery

 

I think they are called springtails.

More a nuisance than anything else, tend to live on the compost I think.
A watering with spray strength insecticide should sort them out.

 

Pete is right Springtails.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.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.

 

Ahhh... Sprintails eh? - Many thanks guys, I feel much better knowing that they aren't going to eat me or my plants : ) yes, I probably am a horticultural hypocondriact.

I doubt I'll kill they little things, as they don't sound like they do any harm to anything. But I may stick to sterilised soils in future.

Thanks again for the reassurance.