# Hypoaspis miles - how to maintain colony?



## Cirith Ungol (May 13, 2005)

Hi! 

Probs next week I'm gonna order predatory mites (Hypoaspis miles) and I'm breaking all bones in my brain trying to come up with a way to maintain a colony of them for any future use.

I'm wonder what kinds of food I could present them with in order to feed them. Since these mites normally feed on other mites and mite eggs and very small insects, I have no clue with what else to feed them that is safe and readily available.

I've been thinking of several possibilities but am not sure if they work:
- I could crush a cricket and put it on the soil, hoping the mites go for it and start devouring it or that other mites come from it and feed upon it. Those other mites would then themselves become prey to the predatory mites. The problem I see with that sollution is that after a few days or some weeks there wouldn't be any mite eggs left in the substrate to hatch feeder mites from! 

- The other thaught is to throw some granulated dog food onto the substrate, hoping the predatory mites might like that. 

- The last sollution is to change ½ of the substrate every week, putting new and feedermite-egg infested soil into their container and disguarding the other half of the old substrate (eventho it will certainly be full of predatory mites).

Has anybody here any experience and success with feeding and maintaining a colony of predatory mites? Will any of the ideas work or would I need other methods?

Thanks!
Cirith


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## Wade (May 17, 2005)

Your last idea is the only one that has a chance of working. You would really need to start culturing annother mite species to feed the predatories.

Wade


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## Cirith Ungol (May 17, 2005)

John (Kugellager) told me recently that he'd seen his Hypoaspis miles feed on cricket remains. I'm gonna try that to start with and if nothing happens I'll go with the tossing and exchanging idea.


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## mimic58 (May 17, 2005)

*mites for mites*

I think wade is probably right, If you can cultivate another mite or small insect for them to feed on it will probably be your best bet alternativly some kind of ground up / powdered bugs and insect mix may work

Good luck!


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## Wade (May 17, 2005)

They may scavange a bit, but it won't keep them going and reproducing. If it was that easy, they'd just live and reproduce in the invert cages you put them in by feeding on prey remains. You'd never have to replenish the supply because they'd be self sustaining.

Wade


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## mimic58 (May 17, 2005)

Good point self sustained has to be a major advantage , Just out of curisity how big are these predatory mites , And what do you want them for are you going to use them as a feeder for something else?


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## Wade (May 17, 2005)

Predatory mites are an excellent way to rid a tarantula, scorpion or other invert cage of pest mite species. They eat all the pests and then die off. They're sold by biological pest control companies for garden/agricultural use. They're kind of pricey, so it would be nice to be able to maintain a supply, but it's likley more trouble than it's worth. It's probably easier just to keep the cages dry where possible and avoid infestation in the first place. The predatories are a great when dryness isn't an option.

Wade


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## Navaros (May 17, 2005)

You could also try culturing springtails. It wont take long to set up a few big cultures.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Cirith Ungol (May 17, 2005)

Springtails? I'm quite unfamiliar with what they are...

I have tropical pillbugs now and am only waiting for the population to grow enough until I'm gonna introduce them into every moist tank.

Please tell me about springtails...

I've ordered predmites yesterday and am only waiting for the shipment. I need them to rid my Pimp of the mites that have infested it...


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## Navaros (May 17, 2005)

Springtails are little bugs people culture for feeding dart frogs and fish. Look up either springtails or Collembola.
Check this for culturing information.
Culturing Springtails


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## mimic58 (May 17, 2005)

Now that sounds interesting cuz I keep getting these little white fast moving ones in my poeci tank iv tried alsorts to rid it they seem to come back , there very small totaly white an sorta leave a line on the tank behind them as they move across the glass , You think these Pred mites would take care of them??


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## Navaros (May 17, 2005)

Yes they would take care of them. What you have sounds more like mites than springtails.


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## cacoseraph (May 17, 2005)

couldn't you take a cage w/ bad mites, let it dry out slightly, then put a cricket corpse in the cage?  that puppy (well, cricket) should act like a mitey powerful mite magnet, and get covered pretty quickly. then you can just drop the cricket and mites in the predmite cage. you wouldn't have to waste NEARLY as much predmites doing that, as opposed to the half dirt replacement plan, i mean


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## Cirith Ungol (May 17, 2005)

That sounds very interesting. However, instead of setting up yet another type of cleaner animal I'm gonna try out the pillbugs for a few months first. I've heard from other "users" that those do a very good job in eating all what is edible and dead or decaying as long as the substrate is moist.

Since I'm also planning on getting a blondi some day I'm gonna be quite happy if I don't have to open up the tank and get the leftovers out...

Wanna thank you all for the info!  :clap:

Reactions: Like 1


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