Hissing Cockroach Mite Problem

[Roachesintheivy]

First of all, YES, I understand there are symbiotic mites on hissing cockroaches that help them keep clean and the like. My own hissers have a few mites, and they make my job all the easier.

However, is it dangerous to have too many mites? My homeroom teacher has a small hisser colony (G. Portensa), and his roaches have an abundance of mites covering their bodies. I picked up a sub-adult and she had at least 10-15 mites on her, and that was just on her back. Its a smaller colony, and to my knowledge, too many mites and not enough roaches can result in potential harm to the colony.

Is this true? If so, what would be the best solution to help the mite problem? Some considerations of mine were increasing the population by ordering more roaches, and my homeroom teacher suggested cleaning them by thoroughly misting them in a strainer and letting them dry in a separate container before returning them to their enclosure.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[MWAInverts]

An abundance of mites doesn’t seem to cause any sort of concern for my colony. It can be unsightly, but you can use a paint brush (I use an old soft makeup brush my wife gave me) to gently brush them off. Keep in mind that when the Hisser is harrssed the mites tend to bunch up underneath and under the leg joints etc, so it might seem like the poor thing is infested.

 

[1Lord Of Ants1]

I’ve noticed an increase in symbiotic mites in particularly dirty colonies. In average conditions a dozen mites per roach seems to be the norm.

 

[PidderPeets]

When I got a few hissers from a local breeder last year, the poor things were absolutely covered in mites and caked in dirt and feces. A link that I was provided to me stated that 10 to 20 mites per roach was totally normal (if I recall correctly). These roaches had at least 100 per roach. The conditions they came from were filthy, so that was my reasoning behind why there was so many. I literally ran the roaches under some water (from the sink, just enough that it was a continuous stream of water, not too strong, and slightly above room temperature) and used a bit of wet paper towels to wipe off the mites and get in the creases of their bodies. The roaches were very annoyed with it and the males hissed almost non-stop, but I needed to get them clean. They were perfectly fine afterwards and all of the straggling mites disappeared in the days following. The two females I got have since passed, but the males are still kicking and even breeding with the younger females, so there was no harm done.

So actually wiping them down by hand would be my suggestion. They will protest and will fight it, but I think that would be the most effective method. I personally don't think misting them would work, as I still had to wipe off quite a few even with running them under water

 

[SolFeliz]

My roaches have about 7-10 mites each. If ever they get too many, I place the roaches in a bag/box of flour. The mites come off and then you can dispose of them. You can also just brush them off with a small paint brush.