Two different soil insects that look similar!
Symphylans.... white color like termites and will damage you farm and garden plants. (They do move quickly!)
Symphylans
Termites. They will not damage your garden, but they might damage your raised bed wood and later, your house and outbuildings!
https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/lawn-garden/termite-treatment-in-organic-gardens/ If you practice "Hugel Culture" or use raised bed walls of wood and are somewhere in the south you will have termites! In one section of my garden I used cardboard as mulch. When I Pulled it up I found clusters of termites presumably enjoying their predigested cardboard dinners! (I will probably pull up the rest of the cardboard and may only use it under my melon plants in the future.)
Garden update: Planted 8 Lincoln Broccoli. Kept covered to avoid cabbage loopers.
I lost 2 (underdeveloped and rotted roots...I think symphylans!) Found some looper damage. Harvested and gave 2 away, ate one, have two left uncovered in the and growing. With only 2 left I will just monitor daily for loopers. The taste of this fresh broccoli was excellent, not at all skunky like store bought!
I have been harvesting lettuce (Sanguine Ameliore butterhead) for most of the month. I sprinkled perhaps 4 or 5 different varieties in my bed between my beets and this was the one that survived. I have harvested most of my Beni Hidi Red Japanese Turnips. I am pulling up any left since its getting hot and they will just cabbage looper butterflies. Beets are increasing in size. will be ready soon...7-10 days I think!
Estonian Garlic. Clipped the Scarps a week ago. 2 leaf wrappers have died off. will harvest when 2 more die off. 1-2 weeks? Early. Soon I hope. I planted some butternut squash seedlings last night at one end of the bed so I need to evict the garlic soon!
2 Determinate tomatoes have started blossoming. I Clipped lower branches and 1st set of flowers. Clipping is now done. Just let them go until it dies back. (I Used cardboard on this part of the garden. Two problems...the area was not perfectly flat, sort of lumpy so it does not sit well. Need to have Flat spot for cardboard mulch. 2nd...The termite thing. You get a lot of worms underneath but also termites.
Indeterminate tomatoes . planted later and when warmer. They are growing aggressively. Put up support framework in preparations!) Planted Melons and Squash last night, along with some basil. Dug up and replanted clumps of Ishikura multiplier bunching onions individually next to the melons to hopefully confuse cucumber beetles. Planted several butternut squash next to oregano bush. Will direct them among the bunching onions and lemon balm and see what happens!
Will see if I can get pictures.
Ugh. Symphylans are almost as repulsive as the humidity we have on the way. Today has been slightly better than forecast due to cloud cover coming off of t-storms that popped up a bit unexpectedly to our SW. The clouds are blocking Sol, so, it’s not too bad outside.