Bugs on my bugs..

[The Snark]

So if you live within a mile or so of grain fields, consider some hobby other than keeping inverts. You will either be bathing in mites or insecticide over-spray.
Also, the routes the trucks take on their way to the grain silos/storage/weighing-grading areas.

(Inadvertently did a little test of this a couple of months ago. Watching a harvester unloading rice into a truck and noticed the black seat of my bike became covered with them little white ambling dots.)

 

[Hisserdude]

My hisser colony had tons of those beneficial mites on them, like @All About Insects said, they don't harm the hissers and actually keep them clean. Elliptorhina get them too, however Aeluropoda don't for some reason.

 

[socalqueen]

My hisser colony had tons of those beneficial mites on them, like @All About Insects said, they don't harm the hissers and actually keep them clean. Elliptorhina get them too, however Aeluropoda don't for some reason.

I took one of my hissers out tonight, she actually crawled into my hand on her own, and as I held her I really was able to see the amount of mites on her, there was a lot! They were on her eyes, underside, legs, antennae and came out of her folds, and were actually crawling onto my hand. Is it normal for them to have so many? Pretty worrisome but then again I'm a rookie so I worry in general lol.

 

[Hisserdude]

I took one of my hissers out tonight, she actually crawled into my hand on her own, and as I held her I really was able to see the amount of mites on her, there was a lot! They were on her eyes, underside, legs, antennae and came out of her folds, and were actually crawling onto my hand. Is it normal for them to have so many? Pretty worrisome but then again I'm a rookie so I worry in general lol.

Yeah, some of my larger individuals had over a dozen on their bodies, a lot of those mites can fit on one roach. They don't stress the hissers out though, so there is nothing to worry about.

 

[socalqueen]

I really appreciate everyone's input, I'm new to bugs and new to the boards and thinks it's so rad to have found so many awesome people willing to help that love this just as much as I do. Thanks for the warm welcome and helping me solve the Mite Mystery lol. See you all in the forums!!

 

[Storm1028]

Ive seen a pseudoschorpion attach itself on a fly, why is that?

 

[Nmarie]

No problem. Yea, that's around the same amount mine have on them as well. Populations of these are limited to the roaches' body and can't survive off of it(they can't fulfill their moisture needs separate from the roach). Yes, I believe all captive stocks of Gromphadorhina have these mites(plus many Elliptorhina stocks). Not exactly, the mites prefer living on adult roaches and populations are either smaller or nonexistent on smaller nymphs.
Not really anything of use, although an interesting fact is that they were once introduced to a colony of B.craniifer.

Ok I have a concerning question I just got some hissing roaches and they have mites I have about. I want 50 turn off tarantula's some, scorpions, hamster, tortoise and snake. Are these mites going to crawl out of my roaches container and in fact all of my other animals?!?!