# Coconut Fiber and MITES



## The Snark (Jan 22, 2014)

(I'm cross posting here since this effects almost all people keeping critters)

Huge piles of coconuts sit on the dirt in collection yards. There they are ripped apart. The shells mostly used to make charcoal, the fiber shoveled and dragged off to the side. After the fiber has dried in the sun for some time, accumulating all sorts of crap and debris, workers take armloads of the fiber and load it onto bundling platforms. On these platforms the trash, garbage and debris is removed and the fiber is compressed and recompressed and bundled into giant bales. These bales are so solidly compacted, sometimes using mechanical levers, sometimes cable pulls, sometimes even using crawlers tractors, that you could drive a heavy vehicle over them without making a dent.
The more responsible suppliers, or the ones who got caught too many times with the hand in the cookie jar, the fiber is spread out over the yard. I've seen several acres of fiber around ankle deep in these areas. Workers then spray pesticides on the fiber. What pesticides? The government approved certified ones of course. You know, those official people sitting in their offices with a desk drawer full of plain white envelopes casually placed on the edge of the desk by anyone who wants to wholesale chemicals in the country. Malathion, parathion, DDT, whatever. The thickness of the envelope is the deciding factor for approval.
Otherwise the bales are usually put in a warehouse type building and fumigated. Right. It is very unlikely a tungsten armor piercing projectile from a 155mm gun could penetrate those bales. Then they are loaded into the holds of ships. When received by retail outlets many months later the retailer checks, sees that the shipper claims the bales were fumigated and sells them as such. For those of you who swallow, buy this BS outright that all mites and other organisms have been killed, I've got some swamp land for sale a few miles west of San Francisco at a really cheap price. Title deeds written with crayons.

This same coconut fiber is also used in a number of other applications. Mattresses are commonly stuffed with it. Again, 'treated', inspected and certified pest free for shipping all over the world. I bought one of those mattresses which started a 10 year long itching bugfest. But why don't I let the label of one of those mattresses speak for the quality of the coconut fiber it contains and the rigorous testing and certification processes:
*
"Was admitted from the people. It's was produced from special polyurethane foam coconut of quality. As best material use in made."*
(Feel free to translate this for me. I'm still scratching my head for various reasons.)


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## Galapoheros (Jan 22, 2014)

I've wondered about the processing of coco fiber, satisfied some of my curiosity there.  I even considered that it might have nothing to do with coconuts, you know, like starfish don't have much to do with being a fish or a butterfly doesn't have much to do with butter ...or a fly.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for sharing the information about the process. I don't have any issues with the brand Eco Earth and I've used it for many, many years in many, many tanks. It should be noted that there may be more than one source for this stuff in the world and no two sources for anything are created equally. I can only speak for my own experience and results. I still consider this a fine substrate or substrate component for many of my pets.


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## MarkmD (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for the info, i've not had any problems with my T's/scorps as yet using cocofiber, but is something to keep in mind.


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## The Snark (Jan 23, 2014)

no doubt there are some responsible suppliers out there. But honestly, do you really trust anything that comes from the third world, processed by people who make less than $3 a day? As for making the stuff completely bug free, it would have to be broken down into batches then placed in sealed containers and exposed to methyl Bromide or equivalent. As for making it pesticide free, good luck. If what  you have works, go for it. Asking anyone involved in the shipping of the stuff if it is certified pesticide free will get you laughed at. They can't even certify fruits and vegetables reliably.


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## viper69 (Jan 23, 2014)

This sounds a lot like the olive oil trade, where olive oil really isnt olive oil- read a whole disturbing article on the corruption in the industry

Reactions: Agree 1


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## RzezniksRunAway (Jan 23, 2014)

Well, that's slightly disturbing. I keep dry bricks of eco earth in the freezer until I use them, sometimes they stay in there for months. I have very little trust in some of the local pet shops, so I don't want to inadvertently bring home something. 

I also wonder how people using coco coir for organic gardening get certified, or mixes that include coco coir that are certified organic.


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## The Snark (Jan 23, 2014)

Organic. There is only a very small handful of countries that have organic certifications and rigid guidelines and the necessary enforcement to implement them. Most certifications are the producer attesting to the fact organic guidelines are followed. Actual testing of organics for chemicals is extremely rare and almost useless as there are many ways to conceal if pesticides or chemical fertilizers have been used.

Olive oil. viper69, you read about that too? Man was that an eye opener. I went from demanding only 'extra virgin' olive oil only in my foods to I may never eat oil again!


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## viper69 (Jan 23, 2014)

The Snark said:


> Olive oil. viper69, you read about that too? Man was that an eye opener. I went from demanding only 'extra virgin' olive oil only in my foods to I may never eat oil again!


I did!! I was stunned speechless really. Who would have thought I'd be eating almond oil or whatever one cargo shipment was instead of the real thing. I was even more surprised to read organized crime was into it, wasn't exactly the type of fraud I'd expect from them.

That whole article blew my mind!!

I saw a program on the news 20/20 or CNN or some show like that regarding organized crime's involvement in truffles !


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## josh_r (Feb 13, 2014)

The Snark said:


> (I'm cross posting here since this effects almost all people keeping critters)
> 
> For those of you who swallow, buy this BS outright that all mites and other organisms have been killed, I've got some swamp land for sale a few miles west of San Francisco at a really cheap price. Title deeds written with crayons.


Oh man... this sentence made me think of this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioPa1URjZ_Y

And I agree on everything you say here... I never use this stuff... I just go dig up some dirt from the backyard... it's all the same but better


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## Wayfarin (Nov 22, 2022)

I've been getting mites infesting many of my projects. All of them seem to have involved coconut fiber substrate.
The first time I got mites in my mealworm set up, but since the mealworms were raised in grain, I thought that the mites came from the mealworms.
Another time, however, I ended up getting mites in a sealed bag that was intended to germinate berry seeds. There was coconut fiber in that bag.
So if that doesn't prove that the mites are hitchhiking in the substrate, I don't know what does.
The mites must have dormant, drought-resistant eggs, because there are no visible mites in the dry bag of coconut fiber substrate.

(Being acquainted with the craftiness of mites and their ability hitchhike and infest projects, I'm not really sure I believe the circulating claim that mites infest projects by becoming airborne.)

It's possible, though, that the mites found a way to colonize the bag only after it was opened.
(By the way, they are definitely not springtails.)


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## The Snark (Nov 22, 2022)

Wayfarin said:


> The mites must have dormant, drought-resistant eggs,


All mite species that are known to be seasonal have such eggs.


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