Houseplant Pest Identification Please! Extreme Close-up Photos

[Lozbomb]

This is a carry-on over from my previous thread here which will give the backstory if needed.
https://www.gardening-forums.com/th...mites-fungus-scale-i-think.18203/#post-184958
Whilst taking a photo for that thread, I found that with my iphone zoomed right in, it acted like a microscope and showed me what my naked eye before then, had been unable to see.

I was horrified to observe scores of what I think may be fungus knats crawling in the crevices of the topsoil, around the area where I've noticed sunken damage to the base of my well-established Jade Plant's trunk. (See video A and final attached image)

I then went and looked through my phone at every other plant I have in the same way, and an entire world opened up to me! I found these same critters (gnats?) also on my Monstera. (See attached images 1–3)
I also uploaded a video on YouTube showing them crawling around (See Video B)

It may be worth mentioning here that despite sharing the same infestation, my Jade Plant is nearly always out on the balcony, whilst my Monstera is nearly always inside a metre or so back from the windows, and they are rarely if ever placed close together.

Upon looking at my Plumeria which has more advanced damage to the base of the trunk, (Images 8–11) I did not find the same crawling winged critters in the topsoil, but at the top of the plant where I recently removed most of the leaves due to ill health, I found that when I tapped the plant, several microscopic flying insects would temporarily emerge and fly around the plant when disturbed. (See video C

Looking closely at the Plumeria's tiny leaf shoots, I could see perhaps two or three different kinds of pest there, all attacking the new leaves. (See images 4–7)
I am a beginner at houseplants, but have been doing a lot of research lately and to my novice eye I thought I recognised Scale, Mealybugs and Spider Mites.

I have been addressing the problems I've been having by treating with a Neem Oil spray for pests and for fungus with a contact fungicide previously, and have just bought the Yates systemic fungus gun, which is apparantly for pests too; followed by re-potting once stablised. (details in previous thread)
What I observed today in being currently the worst affected, (namely the Monstera, Jade and Plumeria) are those that were a couple weeks back, actually doing the best of the bunch which is why they are the last yet to repot.

Please, if you can identify each or any of the following pests shown here, particularly the ones shown in the video links; and give me any advice/insights on what action I should take to save my plants I will be very grateful.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to help me, I hope you are all keeping safe and your spirits up in the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Video A: (Jade Plant - Fungus knats? in topsoil)

Video B: ( Monstera - Fungus knats? in topsoil)

Video C: (Plumeria - flying microscopic insects)

 

[NigelJ]

Don't think that the little insects round the base of the Jade plant and the monstera are a problem. Pictures 3,4 and 5 show scale insects. I would remove with a tooth pick or cocktail stick as there don't appear to be many.
Jade plant in last picture looks healthy enough.

 

[Lozbomb]

Don't think that the little insects round the base of the Jade plant and the monstera are a problem. Pictures 3,4 and 5 show scale insects. I would remove with a tooth pick or cocktail stick as there don't appear to be many.
Jade plant in last picture looks healthy enough.

I got rid of the scale (thanks for the I.D!) with a homemade neem oil spray, but there still appears to be some microscopic white bugs on the underside of the new leaf & red-brown bugs on the edges of the shoots. I’ve seen these on my other plants too and still can’t pin down what they are. (See pic)

In regards to the fungus gnats, I keep hearing conflicting reports as to whether or not they are harmful. (Perhaps Australia is different?)
And I’m not convinced the Jade plant is so healthy, except from a distance.
Is the sunken part at the base of its trunk normal..? (See pic) The same thing happened to my frangipani (the one with the scale) and it became an open wound. (See pic)

Could it be a bacterial infection, fungal or something else? Perhaps just we are coming into Autumn and haven’t had much of a summer? Or am I just being a hysterical mother haha

 

[Chuck]

@NigelJ is correct in his post. I too have seen those little fast moving insects in my garden and in houseplants. I don't know what they are but I don't think they are harmful. You have two types of scale insect. That oval brown scale is hard scale and is probably dead if you sprayed with Neem Oil. The white stuff is the beginning of soft scale insects. Root aphids are a slow moving insect and those insects in the videos are not root aphids. From the pictures #482,484, AF54 that looks a lot like previous termite damage. I have seen the same type of damage from termites in the base of palm trees.