Mites in Spring Cultures - how to fix (charcoal substrate)

RezonantVoid

Hollow Knight
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
1,354
So recently I had this outbreak of red mites in my Springtails containers. First thought was flood the container, pour the springs into a new container, squash the mites on the charcoal and be done. Let's just say 3 weeks later the mites are back to avenge their fallen. There were so many they began outcompeting the springs for food. I devised a new method with the help of a few other arachnoboard users.

1. Your going to need to flood you container with water. Your springs will float on the surface tention and any under water will be surrounded by an air pocket. Some mites will likely float with the springs.

2. Grab a spray bottle set to as fine a mist as you can get. Repeatedly spray the surface to knock the floating mites underwater. The springs have water repellant skin that seems to prevent them sinking so don't worry about them drowning. This took me literally 20 minutes to get all of them since I had ALOT.

3. Get a small container or shallow dish and scoop the surface water with the springs floating on it. Pour this into a seperate container. Pour the water in their original, Mite infested container outside (unfortunately you will probably lose a few springs), but leave the mites and charcoal in the container assuming it is microwave safe.

4. Microwave your charcoal and container for at least 3 minutes, preferably around 5. After this I took it outside and gave the charcoal, container and lid a thorough wash. Put everything back together and in the freezer for about half an hour or so.

5. Once you've taken it out and let it defrost, spread the charcoal out again so your springs have lots of hides, then just pour them back in. Add some additional fresh water and a mushroom or sprinkle of yeast (your preference) to help them repopulate.

A week after doing this I have hundreds more springs than when the mites where outcompeting them. Hope this has helped some. I have added 2 pics, one is the mites under the water and other is springtails culture a week after doing the above. No red mites to be seen.
 

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Greasylake

Arachnoprince
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Jul 23, 2017
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I tried something similar but the mites kept floating. I just filled the colony to about a half centimeter from the top, put it in another container and blew on the springtails with a straw until they jumped over the edge. I just filled the second container with a little water and poured them into a new culture. Worked just fine for me but I probably lost more than I would have if I had used the above method.
 

RezonantVoid

Hollow Knight
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
1,354
I tried something similar but the mites kept floating. I just filled the colony to about a half centimeter from the top, put it in another container and blew on the springtails with a straw until they jumped over the edge. I just filled the second container with a little water and poured them into a new culture. Worked just fine for me but I probably lost more than I would have if I had used the above method.
Yea, while I think losing a few is inevitable I can assure I would have lost less than 50, and they were babies/juvenile sized. One step I didn't include was use a twisted tissue to remove my adult springs since I didn't have many. The only downside is that my method takes up the better part of 2-3 hours and i would only imagine it working with charcoal
 

Greasylake

Arachnoprince
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Jul 23, 2017
Messages
1,324
Yea, while I think losing a few is inevitable I can assure I would have lost less than 50, and they were babies/juvenile sized. One step I didn't include was use a twisted tissue to remove my adult springs since I didn't have many. The only downside is that my method takes up the better part of 2-3 hours and i would only imagine it working with charcoal
My original media was a bark chip/coco husk type thing (I didn't mix it that's how they arrived) so all of it floated which made it impossible for me to get the mites to sink. I ended up having to move them twice and lost a fair amount of my culture but they're back in full force now and I'm almost ready to split it into 2.
 

RezonantVoid

Hollow Knight
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
1,354
My original media was a bark chip/coco husk type thing (I didn't mix it that's how they arrived) so all of it floated which made it impossible for me to get the mites to sink. I ended up having to move them twice and lost a fair amount of my culture but they're back in full force now and I'm almost ready to split it into 2.
Damn! I'd actually like to try different substrates for them when I get enough, so far I know that Coco peat, Coco fibre, charcoal, potting soil and spagnum miss all work, maybe there's an ideal one that mites hate and springs thrive in
 

Greasylake

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
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Damn! I'd actually like to try different substrates for them when I get enough, so far I know that Coco peat, Coco fibre, charcoal, potting soil and spagnum miss all work, maybe there's an ideal one that mites hate and springs thrive in
I started using wood chips which has actually worked really well. Lots of surface area and i haven't had any mold at all. Well, more or mites. I may experiment a little with my new culture as well.
 

Joogvanhedel

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 27, 2017
Messages
162
Grow native springtails (gypsum method)
A successful method as displayed on the VU University Amsterdam.

By Rafael badusha, (and additions by Eric Jansen and Remco Stuster)

On the VU were large PVC pipes (rioleringtype) used by about 7 to 8 cm high (not a whole lot out) in which a low (say 3 cm) gypsum was poured. This plaster sucks up water like a sponge. The bottom remained open which from under water could be included. Very very useful, because the springtails experience no stress when under water. Puddle on the table spraying, breeding in the puddle ' et voila '. It remains long time moist. If lid was a less high piece PVC is used, in which a gauze was glued together. The springtails could not escape from the culture. Otherwise they remain without saying all mainly on the plaster. Because the plaster is black (often little greyish, but if the plaster is wet it becomes black) you can see the white springtails very easy.

Because the plaster is massive, you can calm your grow a bit in the bin are correct. I beat the springtails just in a game, and run it then dosed into the bin. I hit always slightly irritated by the fact that there are lumps of Earth, charcoal, peat or varenwortel in the bin fell at other breeding methods. For example, the addition of calcium supplements is also now taken for granted a lot easier. This new way I'm also continued to grow. Often I bought once in a while springtails because I needed them, but growing I found not quick and easy enough.

Setting up:

Because PVC pipes be sawn, you get basically an ordinary piece of PVC pipe, where the top and bottom open. The piece PVC sets you on a table where you prefer black simple plaster cast in the tube to a certain extent. This dries and is rock hard. Mind you, plaster casting may give a big mess when casting. To avoid getting your plaster cast fixed to the underlying surface you put a piece of plastic down first. A garbage bag, sandwich bag, it doesn't matter as long as it covers the whole bottom. If the plaster is hard then do you get this plastic there

Moreover, on the photo to see I transparent PVC used. I have had luck, the PVC was already sawn, I did have to only the plaster casting. Also the lids I didn't need to make yourself. Lids were just a narrow piece sawn PVC of a bigger than the breeding, over which a gauze was strained. This can, of course, in other ways.

As a lid you can possibly also "mortar caps" buy. These caps are used to sewers at cement works to protect and keep clean. These are zachtplastic caps where e.g. a hood fits both a tube 110 110 110 or turned into a mof. These caps are usually blue or red and in all pvc rioleringmaten. They clamps good to the tube instead of a CAP which slides over it. So if you insectenproof gauze is then about also really good close. You can also choose to make air holes in with a hot needle to prick for example.

Maintenance:

The plaster is almost endless, the grow with me have been in existence for more than a year and a half and the plaster still looks the same.
Because the bottom just stays open you can (useful when large amounts of sachets) spray some water on the table, the nursery on the Pee to moisten the grow. Be careful that the grow really doesn't get wet. I'll give the jumpers at the most 1 to 2 times a week water. I do this itself different because I have only two sachets. I drop using a pipette some water by the gauze back from above.
Keeping the springtails is simple. Sale in the supermarket Dr. Oetker ® (green packs) yeast or half kilos in, for example, Horticoop/Welcoop, and pour (not too much) in the culture. You will see that the springtails the yeast in no time into new springtails.

Here the original site, its in Dutch so you have to translate it.

http://www.gifkikkerportaal.nl/Gifkikkers/inheemse-springstaarten-kweken-gips-methode
 
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