Mites

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KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
So, it appears that I have mites. I have my insects in my room, several feet away(I know, ew.) Based on what I've read so far I should be vacuuming the floor like 3 times a week and rubbing surfaces close to it the insects with a rag with alcohol or a Clorox wipe. Is this correct? Also, I'm gonna completely clean out their holding spaces tomorrow but here's my issue. My fruit fly culture is right next to the insects on the desk. And, of course, they decided to take over the fruit fly cultures too. I'll be getting a new one in 2 days but where should I put it for now so the mites don't take over it in a few days like they did with my other 2 cultures. Lastly, i want to save my insects if I can. The one other time I got mites I took several hours to rinse the insects without drowning them. It seemed to work but it was A LOT of time and many died in a few days, the ones that didn't are still alive. I can't freeze them either. For the time I'm trying to rid my insect area of mites, should I be replacing the bedding like every few days instead of every few weeks like normal? I stopped feeding my insects since Saturday in hopes of lowering the moisture. I'm gonna need to feed them tomorrow though, aren't I? Otherwise they're gonna start dying of dehydration, right? Sorry I've got so many questions, i figure I should get some other opinions on what to do about my situation.
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":351x1anc said:
What kind of mites are there? Can you post some photos of them?

So unfortunately, i can't take pictures of them since my camera can't "see" them. Hell, even with my magnifying glass i could barely see them(but I know they moved, and my fruit fly culture is only 2 weeks old but isn't producing nearly as many flies as it was before this). As for what kind, I'm not sure. They are white, just like they were the one other time this has happened, before of course, i had fruit fly cultures around. I can tell they are in the fruit fly culture but can't tell if they are in the insect containers. The number of new worms are still doing great, and i can't see any on one of the containers, which was the one that allowed me to figure out the fact that I had mites the first time, and the one closest to the fruit fly culture, the other two are on the ground. It's getting to late to clean them tonight without a flashlight but I need to know whether I should feed the worms/beetles tonight, I've seen a few worms die but I'm hoping it won't help out possible mites if they are in the containers with them like the mites are with the fruit fly culture. I just vaccuumed for the first time, haven't wiped down the area with wipes yet. Should I hold off on doing those things until i am able to first clean the containers and dump the current culture with mites or is it fine to start doing this while mites are still in the culture and maybe in the worms' containers? Should i dump the little bit of stuff i've vaccuumed up, even though I don't see movement under the magnifying glass or will the mites stay there until i dump them after I'm done "treating" my room? Also, will they bother to climb on things a few feet away, like leather and metal items like my headset or video game cases i possess?
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":jbquyxv2 said:
Are they gathering in big groups and look like moving sand like this? https://leopardgecko.org/how-to-get-rid-of-grain-mites/grain-mite-2

If they are grain mites then I've found reducing the humidity in the area tends to get rid of them. I'm not sure about other types of mites though. I think the first thing to do is identify which ones you are dealing with and then research how to rid that particular type.


That appears to be the one. Just like last time. Last night and later today will be cleaning times, I just cleaned out one of the containers, rinsed the insects. Hopefully they're not dead. Their numbers were surprisingly great in the one container I've cleaned but even if there aren't mites in the container, it's time for a cleanup and I wouldn't want to later find the mites in the colonies. I haven't fed them since Saturday, I better feed them now right? And the vacuuming part, I didn't do that last time and I was fine but would you advise doing it this time just in case? Thank you for replying
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
If they are grain mites then they are harmless but annoying. I've found cleaning to not really do much against them but I ran a dehumidifier for a few days near the infestation and they disappeared. That seems to be the key against those.
 
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