# Mites in hissing roach terrarium



## billrogers (Mar 7, 2016)

I recently had a mite explosion in my hissing roach tank from some new substrate that I guess wasn't sterilized enough. Anyway, I took the roaches out and it's just the substrate and some dead leaves in there. I've had it like that for a about a week. I put a fan blowing into the cage and a heat lamp a few inches from the substrate for the first day or two to help dry it out. I was hoping they would dry out and die, but they just keeping living!!  I've had these once before in a cage with a wild insect and some cut tree branches. They were a pain to get rid of!! I've also had detritivorous mites, but these are much smaller. Any idea what they are and how to to kill them? Do I have to take everything out and freeze it? I hate mites...


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## Bemottled (Mar 7, 2016)

billrogers said:


> I recently had a mite explosion in my hissing roach tank from some new substrate that I guess wasn't sterilized enough. Anyway, I took the roaches out and it's just the substrate and some dead leaves in there. I've had it like that for a about a week. I put a fan blowing into the cage and a heat lamp a few inches from the substrate for the first day or two to help dry it out. I was hoping they would dry out and die, but they just keeping living!!  I've had these once before in a cage with a wild insect and some cut tree branches. They were a pain to get rid of!! I've also had detritivorous mites, but these are much smaller. Any idea what they are and how to to kill them? Do I have to take everything out and freeze it? I hate mites...


You'll have to toss the substrate, bud. And bleach the container. And rinse it until it stops smelling like bleach.
It is a very thorough purification process but a surefire and (hopefully) one shot way to kill them.

What kind of substrate are you using?


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## viper69 (Mar 7, 2016)

Never owned roaches, I'd toss the sub for sure. You could (if the roaches are OK) some predatory mites in, they will eat other mites and only mites (MAY be species specific though) and die off when their food is gone.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## billrogers (Mar 7, 2016)

So freezing the sub won't kill them? That's what I do when bring stuff in from outside.


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## RolliePollie (Mar 7, 2016)

I have used food grade diatomeus earth which worked very well. The mites walk through it and it kills them.


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## RolliePollie (Mar 7, 2016)

Remove all substrate, works best if you shake the D.E. around

Reactions: Agree 1


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## viper69 (Mar 7, 2016)

billrogers said:


> So freezing the sub won't kill them? That's what I do when bring stuff in from outside.


Don't know, never tried to freeze those crappy arachnids before. I'm sure at SOME temp it will.


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## Bemottled (Mar 7, 2016)

billrogers said:


> So freezing the sub won't kill them? That's what I do when bring stuff in from outside.


I know for fishtanks, they usually bake the substrate. (For dirt) Fish are hella more sensitive, so maybe that'd work better? Or at least it's an alternate method to try, if this is a recurring problem.
I'm sure there's vids on it all over the youtube.


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## billrogers (Mar 7, 2016)

I'll probably freeze then keep an eye on it for a day or two before putting it back. I breed D. Tityus and I just freeze the stuff I collect from the woods for them. It has always worked for me. I tried using dry ice on some of the sub I put in here, not doing that again! I also dry-iced a vivarium I had to get rid of pests with two pounds of dry ice, but it didn't seem to do anything. I am not convinced dry ice works at all...


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## lunarae (Mar 9, 2016)

I know that there is actually a mite species that is commonly found living on Madagascar hissing cockroaches that is in no way a threat to the cockroach. Not sure if it's those or not but worth mentioning. In your next set up if you add springtails and isopods to the substrate you can lower the risk of another  mite explosion as they compete for food and habitat. Also springtails and isopods would help keep the enclosure clean. As springtails eat mold and fungus and isopods will eat dead material i.e. dead roaches and such.


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