If they are tiny, tiny white bugs no bigger than a pinhead and barely visible, they're mites. What to heck is it with mites now. They seemingly are becoming a BIG problem, especially in foreign countries. Mites are hard to detect and get rid of because the hide deep behind the scales where soaking with a pesticide seldom penetrates. Moreover, once they become populated in garden soil they can ruin the whole thing, requiring deep fumigation with cover treatments before it's safe to plant lilies there again. So, you don't want mites; be careful who you buy from and be conscious of what country your bulbs may have originated from. If you have to, plant bulbs in pots the first year to verify bulb cleanliness.
But, let's consider another possible explanation for your problem and hope those little white bugs aren't mites. Maybe they're just some other pest cleaning up rotted vegetation.
When growers dig bulbs in the Fall, they are supposed to dry them thoroughly before loading the bins for cooling down and for chilling storage. The last place and most difficult place to dry is the basil plate area because dirt is not easily removed there. And if the basil plate area is put into cold storage wet or too damp, it WILL spoil. When you purchase bulbs in the Spring, check the outside scales for blue mold. It is usually harmless on the scales but it is a good sign the bulbs were chilled a little too damp and that's when you want to really examine the basil plate thoroughly!
Here's a case where a Fall dug bulb was not dried enough prior to chill storage. Had I planted this bulb, it would have looked just like yours.
You could have scaled these bulbs, too. You'll end up with many little ones. If decide to do that, soak the scales in a 10% household bleach solution for 20 minutes, the rinse and dry to callous over night.
