# All you need to know about mites



## boina (Jul 10, 2018)

Mites are one of the big topics that turn up over and over again. I can't count how often I've posted about them and tried to put a rational view on some rather phobic reactions. So, here is a consolidated post with everything about mites that I (and others) can link back to:

Mites are harmless – that needs to be said first.

The mites showing up again and again in tarantula enclosures or, more often, in feeder colonies, are grain mites and related groups (genus Acarus) - scavenger mites that live off rotting organic matter. They feed off anything they can find, including spider poop, boli, and, if things get bad, even rotting coco fibers. As such they are actually beneficial – they help clean up the enclosures, the same way springtails do, but for some unexplained reasons springtails are loved whereas mites are considered the bad guys, very undeserved. Mites in small number are actually beneficial – no need to get rid of them.

But what about those mites that attach themselves to your tarantula, often sitting at the base of the chelicerae? Those are parasites, right? – Wrong.

When mites come upon bad times – little food, drought, overpopulation – they’ll want to emigrate. Unfortunately mites aren’t built for walking (longer distances) so they go looking for a convenient ‘bus’, something that can carry them far away. In that case your tarantula comes in handy. The mites, now called phoretic (‘hitchhiker’) mites, climb on board and find a place with softer skin to attach themselves with their mouth parts. Prime real estate is the area around the chelicerae because that area actually has food service: every time the tarantula eats the mites get to clean up afterwards, or even during feeding, and get dinner, too. They are kind of… ewww… but still harmless. They just sit there, they don’t suck hemolymph or anything else from the tarantula.

Still those phoretic mites are really kind of… ewww. Want to get rid of them? Don’t try to brush or rip them off. That can actually damage the exoskeleton of your tarantula since the mites have attached themselves securely. Instead do something counter-intuitive. Place a small peace or rotting organic matter (fruit, veggy, or a dead cricket, whatever, the mites are not picky) in with your tarantula. The mites will smell the food and leave their ‘bus’ to have dinner. Take the rotting whatever out after a few hours, preferably using a spoon, so that all mites feeding on their feast will be collected, too. Rinse and repeat.

The one problem about mites is that in favorable circumstances (moisture and plenty of food) they can explode in numbers. Within days they are everywhere, a moving avalanche of annoying little freeloaders looking for a good life. This situation actually happens very rarely in a tarantula enclosure since even a moist one usually does not contain enough food for a mite explosion but it does happen more often in feeder colonies. If it does happen in a tarantula enclosure it annoys not only you but even more the poor spider that cannot escape those millions of nuisances. The spider will stand on tiptoes, move a lot and scratch itself. Now what?

Step one: wipe everything wipe-able off, but use only water. Chemicals are a bigger danger for your tarantula than for the mites. Wait a few hours for the next wave of mites to arrive, rinse and repeat.

Step two: dry your tarantulas enclosure out and make sure to remove boli and anything rotting in there. If you have a mite explosion something has gone wrong in the first place. A well kept tarantula enclosure can and will support a mite population but its proliferation will be limited.

Step three: get springtails. They will compete with mites for resources and keep them in check.

So you want to prevent mites because you just don’t want phoretic mites on your T or a mite explosion in your enclosures? Bad news: you can’t. Mites are lightweight, small, and everywhere. They come in through the air. They will always come in through the air. Good news: they are harmless. I think I said that already. But what about sterilizing the substrate one way or other? That will kill any mites, right? Yes, it will, and it will kill anything else living in the substrate, too. The first thing to arrive on this wonderful, pristine substrate will have it all to itself – paradise. What do you want to bet that the first thing to arrive will be a mite? And if it isn’t a mite it’s a fungal spore. What do you like better?

But what about those real tarantula parasitic mites? Those do exist (from the mite family Laelapidae), but they are rare and scientific literature about them is even rarer. They do need to come from somewhere, though. Real parasites are specific, tarantula mites don’t come in on a cricket or any other feeder, they only come in on another tarantula and a wild caught one at that. As of yet, nobody has managed to breed those rare and exotic mites in captivity. Is your tarantula wild caught? If not it doesn’t have a parasitic mite. And if it is wild caught? Parasitic mites don’t sit around the chelicerae usually but attach themselves at the edge of the carapace. If you really manage to find one – admire it and marvel. It’s much rarer than your tarantula. And unless the spider has a whole bunch of them it’s not going to do much harm either, they don’t suck that much hemolymph. I have no clue how to get them off since no one I know, have ever talked to, or ever read about has ever been in the situation. Personally, I’d document everything about the mite(s) and write a scientific paper about it , like these people did.

For a mite researcher's take on this topic read this.

Reactions: Like 39 | Thanks 9 | Agree 2 | Informative 35 | Funny 1 | Helpful 5 | Love 2 | Useful 1 | Award 14 | Winner 1


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## Theneil (Jul 10, 2018)

Any chance we can get this stickied so it stays easy to find?

Thank you Boina!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 7


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## Chris LXXIX (Jul 10, 2018)

Brava, Cora

Reactions: Like 1


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## PidderPeets (Jul 10, 2018)

You're the best! I'm saving this so I can just link this thread directly from you, since I basically just relay all the information you've provided me on them already

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sinned (Jul 10, 2018)

Thanks boina, , I love these posts of yours.

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## KezyGLA (Jul 10, 2018)

Pinworthy !

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Greasylake (Jul 10, 2018)

Ah man you're making the mite threads too easy for us now.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## cold blood (Jul 10, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> Ah man you're making the mite threads too easy for us now.


Hopefully so easy that those threads start dwindling in numbers.

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## Venom1080 (Jul 10, 2018)

We just need one giant thread compiled of these Mythbuster threads of yours. This and the slime mold one.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Funny 1


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## buzz182 (Jul 10, 2018)

This is an ok guide I guess but if you could just do one on mould, best beginner tarantulas & what to do if my T hasn't eaten for 2 weeks you'll have 99% of questions covered

Reactions: Funny 3


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## viper69 (Jul 10, 2018)

This should be a sticky in my opinion @EulersK and @AphonopelmaTX

Reactions: Agree 3 | Funny 1


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## EulersK (Jul 10, 2018)

viper69 said:


> This should be a sticky in my opinion @EulersK and @AphonopelmaTX


I'm the one that asked her to write this for the stickies

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## viper69 (Jul 10, 2018)

EulersK said:


> I'm the one that asked her to write this for the stickies


Nice idea-- we need one on mold. Maybe a dual title "Of Mites and Mold"

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 8


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## Toddydog (Jul 10, 2018)

Thank you! I can't even tell you how many times I've had to explain this.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Paul1126 (Jul 11, 2018)

Book marked.
Great thread

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## WildSpider (Aug 10, 2018)

Thanks for taking the time to write this, boina. This is really helpful!

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## cecdog (Aug 12, 2018)

Absolutely eased my mind, great post!

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## Scoly (Sep 19, 2018)

Great rational post!

However, I'm going to chime in with some thoughts relating to centipedes, because there are differences between them and tarantulas, and an increasing number of centipede owners (such as myself, and @Staehilomyces) have lost specimens in the presence of mite infestations, and are questioning whether mites are really as harmless as everyone says they are.

This is not to imply mites do cause these deaths (the simple truth is we do not know) but here are some thoughts and observations on the matter:

There are often grain mite infestations around the head parts and under the first few tergites, which is to be expected as that's the only places the centipede can't reach with its mouthparts, but sometimes we don't see anything.
The centipedes writhe and wriggle their heads, and scratch at it with their legs. They also often turn and nibble at parts of their body where no mites are visibly present. So either I don't see the mite, or there's something internal, or it's just what they do when they feel an itch.
Many keepers have reported "shovelling" behaviour - whereby a centipede continually pushes its head into the substrate or against objects while walking. Some people say this is to try to itch to get rid of the mites. When I've observed this it seemed far more like a case of paralysis of the head which may or may not be mite-related. I've seen centipedes affected by the cold develop this, and more recently had one turn that way out of the blue and die the next day. More often it's an ongoing condition, often accompanied by mite problems, that eventually results in death.
The mites come on in droves as the centipede starts to die - but a centipede is often long dead before it stops moving, as others have noted with the smell of decay, and as can be attested by the fact a decapitated centipede will go on running for quite some time. This supports the notion that mites are not a cause of death, but just show up in large numbers for what seems to be a long time before death (but actually isn't).
In some cases, grain mite infestations cause no harm to the centipede, and just clear up. This would seem to support the notion that mites are not causing the death of the centipedes, or if they are, then centipedes only succumb under certain conditions (general health, temp, humidity etc...)
The same conditions which lead to visible mite infestations could also be the cause for centipede's poor health, either directly, or by being favourable conditions for the pathogens which are actually attacking the centipede, in which case mites are a nice warning system.
The prevailing opinion seems to be that mites do not harm centipedes, but I wonder if people say that because that's what they've heard from experienced keepers. Some of those then become experienced keepers themselves and spread the same incorrect information, which keeps everyone in mutual agreement that this is fact, and whenever someone claims to think that mites did it, they are told it's not, and out of respect for those more experienced, and out of shame at losing their best specimens, these people don't argue.
I also wonder if this opinion is correct for tarantulas, but not for centipedes. Here are some differences which might explain why tarantulas don't succumb to mite infestations while centipedes do:
Most tarantulas lay some webbing, which creates a barrier between them and the substrate, whereas centipedes live in direct contact with the substrate.
A tarantula's point of contact with the ground is different, they often don't let their many bodies touch un-webbed substrate, meaning any parasite needs to climb up its legs, which it can easily groom if it sense something crawling.
A tarantula's body is covered in hairs.
A centipede's head parts may, just because of the shape of them, hoard more food detritus, or be harder to clean.
Tarantulas feed entirely on other invertebrates (or at least can) which means it is possible to fulfil their dietary requirements in captivity. Centipedes can generally survive entirely on insects, but we don't know what else they eat in nature while they are underground or deep within rotting wood. It may be that they eat other animals like worms, or fungus, soil, plant material (which is documented - and not just in captivity) or maybe it's the water droplets they drink off the underside of rocks that contain minerals, who knows! So it may be that we are not meeting their full nutritional requirements (or this depends on what the feeders are fed, or what your water source is) and they are therefore more susceptible to succumbing to pathogens.

I often notice discolouration in such centipedes, with antennae, legs and in particular maxillipeds losing colour and appearing more faded and translucent than in healthy specimens.
I have also noticed some centipedes get what appears to be dried blood crusts around the head - often on the maxillipeds - and this appears to happen after periods of excessively high humidity. Perhaps this is fungus, perhaps this is something the body produces in response to a pathogen, mites or other. Because this happens under such conditions it's hard to tell if mites have anything to do with it.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


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## boina (Sep 19, 2018)

Scoly said:


> Great rational post!
> 
> However, I'm going to chime in with some thoughts relating to centipedes, because there are differences between them and tarantulas, and an increasing number of centipede owners (such as myself, and @Staehilomyces) have lost specimens in the presence of mite infestations, and are questioning whether mites are really as harmless as everyone says they are.
> 
> ...


You make some great points about centipedes but your knowledge about mite biology seems not quite as comprehensive. Let me restate this:

1. Mites are attracted to sick and dying animals because they are anticipating a big meal.
2. Mites find the moist living conditions of centipedes in plenty of decaying organic matter highly appealing - as do a plethora of potentially harmful, but invisible, bacteria.
3. Mites can and will roam all over a centipede and may certainly bother it - but they are NOT able to feed from its body.
4. I don't know if there are specific centipede parasites, but your average scavenger mite will NOT harm a centipede. The mite is simply not able to do so.

And I'm not saying that because someone (your 'experienced keeper') told me so but because I know about mite biology and parasites in general.

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## Scoly (Sep 19, 2018)

boina said:


> And I'm not saying that because someone (your 'experienced keeper') told me so but because I know about mite biology and parasites in general.


And that's exactly why I wanted your view on these points 

I was not suggesting that the mites _feed_ off centipedes, just that their presence could be a contributing factor in other health problems, such as the spreading of fungal infections. However, I am happy to accept that a concentration of mites (with the exception of specialised parasites) are never a cause, although they are potentially a _symptom_ of another problem - perhaps also a fungal infection?

We throw the word "mycosis" around quite a bit whenever a centipede get humidity related health problems, most commonly black markings on the head regions, but for all we know these could be bacterial infections rather than fungal. It may be that the mites are able to scent this and therefore congregate on those areas?

Have you any thoughts or knowledge on fungal infections in arthropods? And do you think some of the anti-fungal treatments available for humans might work, or are these overly toxic?


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## boina (Sep 19, 2018)

Scoly said:


> And that's exactly why I wanted your view on these points
> 
> I was not suggesting that the mites _feed_ off centipedes, just that their presence could be a contributing factor in other health problems, such as the spreading of fungal infections. However, I am happy to accept that a concentration of mites (with the exception of specialised parasites) are never a cause, although they are potentially a _symptom_ of another problem - perhaps also a fungal infection?
> 
> ...


I only really know about tarantulas and fungal infections are extremely rare there. I do know that a lot of things are mistaken for fungal infections that aren't any, though.

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## SonsofArachne (Sep 19, 2018)

So, mites are bad, right?.............

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## Torech Ungol (Sep 22, 2018)

SonsofArachne said:


> So, mites are bad, right?.............


Yes, but only if you are an adherent of Nurgle, or some other god of decay.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Macabre Artist (Sep 24, 2018)

Mighty useful information.

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## Avictula (Nov 22, 2018)

Wow just read this thred for the first time, fantastic information, thank you boina.

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## Zevil (Nov 23, 2018)

I have mites in all of my isopd culture. They actually help with reducing mould, just like springtails.

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## AphonopelmaTX (Sep 19, 2019)

Something needs to be said about stating "mites are harmless" when it comes to tarantulas in captivity.  Although the mites themselves are harmless and won't kill a tarantula directly,  Dr. Sam Marshall in his classic tarantula pet care book "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" states that the mites while "hitchhiking" can enter a tarantula's booklungs and cause irritation and restrict airflow.  This is in direct contradiction to the link in the original post to the mite biologist who states in another forum "Because of the way Ts feed they cannot prevent it from feeding and because Ts have better mobility when it comes to self-grooming their book-lung openings I’ve so far never seen any around the booklungs. [I think it unlikely that they would ever enter the book lungs anyway.] They are probably an irritation to Ts but NOT harmful."

The Schultz and Schultz book "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" (1998) speculates that mites are able to kill a tarantula by "fouling and plugging the tarantula's book lungs and mouth with their cast skins and feces."  Like the Marshall book, Schultz never states that mites are able to directly kill a tarantula.  However, Schultz has a very "enthusiastic" writing style and his statements on mites in that book can easily cause an alarmist position regarding them.

Both books are in agreement though that mites can be harmful and should be eradicated as soon as possible before the population explodes and causes issues for the tarantula.

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## boina (Sep 20, 2019)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> Something needs to be said about stating "mites are harmless" when it comes to tarantulas in captivity.  Although the mites themselves are harmless and won't kill a tarantula directly,  Dr. Sam Marshall in his classic tarantula pet care book "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" states that the mites while "hitchhiking" can enter a tarantula's booklungs and cause irritation and restrict airflow.  This is in direct contradiction to the link in the original post to the mite biologist who states in another forum "Because of the way Ts feed they cannot prevent it from feeding and because Ts have better mobility when it comes to self-grooming their book-lung openings I’ve so far never seen any around the booklungs. [I think it unlikely that they would ever enter the book lungs anyway.] They are probably an irritation to Ts but NOT harmful."
> 
> The Schultz and Schultz book "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" (1998) speculates that mites are able to kill a tarantula by "fouling and plugging the tarantula's book lungs and mouth with their cast skins and feces."  Like the Marshall book, Schultz never states that mites are able to directly kill a tarantula.  However, Schultz has a very "enthusiastic" writing style and his statements on mites in that book can easily cause an alarmist position regarding them.
> 
> Both books are in agreement though that mites can be harmful and should be eradicated as soon as possible before the population explodes and causes issues for the tarantula.


No evidence has ever presented anywhere as to mites entering book lungs of tarantulas. S. Marshalls book is pretty outdated and the TKG's take on mites is completely absurd and based on a complete misunderstanding of mite biology. It's about the worst and most unscientific part of the whole book. You are aware that mites are everywhere in nature, especially in the soil?

Mites entering book lungs is a completely unsubstantiated myth, no matter how many books cite it.

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## Paul1126 (Sep 20, 2019)

boina said:


> Tarantulas entering book lungs is a completely unsubstantiated myth,


That would actually be scary. Psychopathic tarantulas killing other tarantulas by entering their book lungs

Reactions: Funny 4


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## AphonopelmaTX (Sep 20, 2019)

boina said:


> No evidence has ever presented anywhere as to mites entering book lungs of tarantulas. S. Marshalls book is pretty outdated and the TKG's take on mites is completely absurd and based on a complete misunderstanding of mite biology. It's about the worst and most unscientific part of the whole book. You are aware that mites are everywhere in nature, especially in the soil?
> 
> Tarantulas entering book lungs is a completely unsubstantiated myth, no matter how many books cite it.


As a complete layman in the subject of acarology, I am faced with a dilemma.  There are people on the internet, like yourself, who have experience with mites and who's work in the subject I am unfamiliar with, that are making claims that mites are completely harmless to pet tarantulas.  Yet, a professional arachnologist who's work I am familiar with (Dr. Sam Marshall) makes a contradictory claim.  Both sides have not presented evidence either way.  Who am I supposed to believe?

Reactions: Agree 2


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## boina (Sep 20, 2019)

Paul1126 said:


> That would actually be scary. Psychopathic tarantulas killing other tarantulas by entering their book lungs


Yeah, you are right - edited it .



AphonopelmaTX said:


> Both sides have not presented evidence either way.


How am I supposed to present evidence of something that doesn't happen? Do you understand the dilemma? Presenting evidence of a negative fact is practically always impossible. If mites can enter book lungs, though, there should be evidence of it.

Reactions: Agree 4


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## Arachnid Addicted (Sep 20, 2019)

boina said:


> No evidence has ever presented anywhere as to mites entering book lungs of tarantulas. S. Marshalls book is pretty outdated and the TKG's take on mites is completely absurd and based on a complete misunderstanding of mite biology. It's about the worst and most unscientific part of the whole book. You are aware that mites are everywhere in nature, especially in the soil?
> 
> Mites entering book lungs is a completely unsubstantiated myth, no matter how many books cite it.


I have 2 doubts, though.
They can be around the book lungs but not actually enter in them?

Also, I have a little bit of them on some Ts I have, should it be better to stop feeding them for a while, and put the fruit on their enclo?


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## boina (Sep 20, 2019)

Arachnid Addicted said:


> I have 2 doubts, though.
> They can be around the book lungs but not actually enter in them?
> 
> Also, I have a little bit of them on some Ts I have, should it be better to stop feeding them for a while, and put the fruit on their enclo?


Just think about it. Tarantulas live on the jungle floor. It's teeming with all kinds of small and smallest critters. If they could get into a tarantula's book lungs that easily tarantulas would be long extinct. Mites on tarantulas are harmless. They can, however, be a sign that something with your husbandry is off. Is it too moist? Can you let it dry out a little more? Otherwise I'd really recommend getting springtails and putting plenty of them in there. They'll outcompete the mites.

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## Arachnid Addicted (Sep 20, 2019)

boina said:


> Just think about it. Tarantulas live on the jungle floor. It's teeming with all kinds of small and smallest critters. If they could get into a tarantula's book lungs that easily tarantulas would be long extinct. Mites on tarantulas are harmless. They can, however, be a sign that something with your husbandry is off. Is it too moist? Can you let it dry out a little more? Otherwise I'd really recommend getting springtails and putting plenty of them in there. They'll outcompete the mites.


Thanks for answering. I'll start the arragements asap.


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## JPG (Sep 23, 2019)

I found a lot of soil mites (oribatida) in the sphagnum moss i gathered, does this mean I'm good to use it in my tarantula enclosure?


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## AphonopelmaTX (Sep 23, 2019)

boina said:


> No evidence has ever presented anywhere as to mites entering book lungs of tarantulas. S. Marshalls book is pretty outdated and the TKG's take on mites is completely absurd and based on a complete misunderstanding of mite biology. It's about the worst and most unscientific part of the whole book. You are aware that mites are everywhere in nature, especially in the soil?
> 
> Mites entering book lungs is a completely unsubstantiated myth, no matter how many books cite it.





boina said:


> How am I supposed to present evidence of something that doesn't happen? Do you understand the dilemma? Presenting evidence of a negative fact is practically always impossible. If mites can enter book lungs, though, there should be evidence of it.


The claim I was referring to that lacks evidence is "mites are harmless". Not the method in which they _could_ be harmful (by entering the booklungs), so yes, I understand my own dilemma. Why should I believe you, who has academic credentials, in saying mites are harmless over someone else with academic credentials (Sam Marshall) who said mites can be harmful?

If you make a claim you should be able to support it, which I do not see in this thread.  I'm not even sure what you are basing that claim on come to think about it.  If you are drawing from the biology of non-parasitic mites, then sure, they can't directly harm a tarantula.  Even the Marshall and Schultz books from the 1990s state that so that isn't new information. I can't accept the argument that since tarantulas share their environment with mites in nature so to they must be harmless in captivity because captivity doesn't have the same checks and balances as nature.  We don't even know if the same species of mite that appears in captivity are the same as what a wild tarantula would encounter.  As far as I know, there have been no recorded observations of how non-parasitic mites and tarantula interact with each other in nature.  There is plenty on parasitic mites though.

You couldn't be supporting your claim on a lack of direct evidence that mites can harm tarantulas by indirect means, because that would mean there is no proof either way.  I don't think it is right to state that "mites can enter the booklungs" is a myth.  The first pet care book, that I am aware of, that made that statement was "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" by Sam Marshall who has the academic credentials and experience in arachnology to make such a claim.  He wouldn't be someone to just make something up, but that part of the book would have been better if he provided the source of that information so I can't say for sure if it was conjecture or if he or someone he knew observed it first hand.

The motivation for posting contradictory information to the main idea of this thread from the two prevailing tarantula care books (no matter how old they are) is due to how the statements being made are being repeated over and over again on this site.  From my perspective, "mites are harmless" (in reference to the grain mites that appear in tarantula enclosures) is too vague a claim to make for people to accept it at face value and to repeat as fact.  Statements made in two tarantula pet care books that say mites can be harmful is enough for me to raise doubt that they are not.  If some want to dismiss those books for some reason, fine, but hopefully people are not out there letting the presence of mites in their tarantulas' enclosures reach infestation levels.


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## boina (Sep 23, 2019)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> The claim I was referring to that lacks evidence is "mites are harmless".


Ok, then let me rephrase that: There's no evidence anywhere that any kind of mite living in soil etc. can harm a tarantula as an opportunistic parasite, for example. Since no scientifically sound evidence has ever been presented of mites harming tarantulas despite the huge amount of tarantulas in captivity I decided to go with the available evidence and call them harmless instead of making up possible scenarios in which they could actually harm a tarantula. 

There are tarantula parasitic mites, but, as is the case with any parasite, they spread from tarantula to tarantula and therefore must come from an already infected (i.e. wild caught) tarantula. Furthermore, there is no evidence that they do apprechiable harm to a reasonably healthy tarantula, either.

As to Dr. Sam Marshall: I've worked with and among scientists all my life. Everyone makes mistakes. Name dropping is not an argument.



JPG said:


> I found a lot of soil mites (oribatida) in the sphagnum moss i gathered, does this mean I'm good to use it in my tarantula enclosure?


Yes.

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## Redjunior (Oct 5, 2019)

Would isopods be a good measure to rid large mite numbers? I know lady bugs love to munch mites but what about isopods? Has anyone tried them?


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## Theneil (Oct 5, 2019)

Redjunior said:


> Would isopods be a good measure to rid large mite numbers? I know lady bugs love to munch mites but what about isopods? Has anyone tried them?


Isopods probably pose a larger risk to your tarantulas than the mites do.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Redjunior (Oct 5, 2019)

Theneil said:


> Isopods probably pose a larger risk to your tarantulas than the mites do.


okay. i was just wondering. thanks for info.


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## 50centipede (Oct 6, 2019)

One of my centipede enclosures had crappy ventilation and I saw a lot of mites on the centipede. Instead of rehousing to a new substrate I moved the whole contents from the old enclosure to a bigger, well ventilated enclosure. The mites stopped bothering the centipede and eventually their numbers diminished greatly. What I learned from this is mites are not dangerous. They are attracted to a weak/dying creature but not the cause of your pet's unhealthy condition.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Aline (Sep 10, 2020)

I recently came across this : https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0039019

and this : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1557506309001153

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## USNGunner (Oct 2, 2020)

Good informaton.  A noop getting ready to read the "Tarantula Keeper" thanks you for this!


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## Aline (Oct 2, 2020)

Would the same apply to other spiders, such as true spiders? I have seen people from jumping spiders (Salticidae) communities report cases of parasitic mites on their spiders and I'd love to have more information!


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## Pangalin (Oct 20, 2020)

boina said:


> Mites are one of the big topics that turn up over and over again. I can't count how often I've posted about them and tried to put a rational view on some rather phobic reactions. So, here is a consolidated post with everything about mites that I (and others) can link back to:
> 
> Mites are harmless – that needs to be said first.
> 
> ...


Great read for novice like me hadn't even considered about mites yet very usefull great work


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## Exoskeleton Invertebrates (Oct 20, 2020)

When it’s time to sell your tarantulas make sure you include “hitchhiker mites with purchase of tarantula”. I’m sure your customer would love their new edition adding to their stock. Silly to read on a thread that mites are harmless. Same story different poster. So if you think mites can’t get inside the epigastric furrow of a female think again. I’ve lost an egg sac that was filled with beautiful mites. And in the past I have lost a few tarantulas that were kept humid filled with mites in the enclosure. Yeah keep dreaming that they’re not harmful lol.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Spiderspiders (Jul 27, 2021)

boina said:


> Mites are one of the big topics that turn up over and over again. I can't count how often I've posted about them and tried to put a rational view on some rather phobic reactions. So, here is a consolidated post with everything about mites that I (and others) can link back to:
> 
> Mites are harmless – that needs to be said first.
> 
> ...


I’m late to the party but this is awesome. THANK YOU for taking the time to make this.


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## Chuck3 (Oct 19, 2021)

Glad I found this here. just to share a recent story with new keepers or those who’ve never experienced this first hand. Also, please, don’t let this make you fearful of buying these types of feeders, maybe more so be mindful where they came from. I’ve bought more of these than I can count and this has never happened before.

I purchased a 100 count of super worms, I brought it home, sat the container down for later use, this was on October, 6th. I decided I’m going to use a few of them October 11th or 12th, go to get the container and when I see it I noticed something is definitely not normal, the dang thing was COVERED in grain mites. Small white fuzzy slow moving little mites by the 100s upon 100s. I’m already familiar with grain mites, I’ve never seen this many, but have dealt with them once before and didn’t panic, I know scavenger mites are not a big deal in small numbers, even beneficial in ways as said many times here but this wasn’t a small number, to say the least, the super worms, the container and they’re hitch hiking colony of mites we’re tossed outside.

I’m sure by the time I noticed this not all of them went outside but with my well established clean up crews and enclosure keeping, I’m not worried, god knows any of my 50+ enclosures there probably is or was already some at some point in small numbers.

To those new to the hobby, this is an incredibly important thread, it’s a question that most people wish they had a dollar for each time they’ve seen it asked and my best advice is at first, don’t panic, second, education. Learn about them, it may help put your mind to ease while you’re figuring out what steps are best to take for you.


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## SherwoodOutlaw (Nov 9, 2021)

Spotted what I think are mites in my L. Parahybanas enclosure today and now feel a lot better  thanks


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## Peyton Bemis (Aug 23, 2022)

Boina could you please see the post i posted today and see the Mites on my tarantula and determine whether you think they are the parasitic kind. Whatever it is it seems to be around the edges of the carapace i would appreciate it so much. Actually here are the pictures.


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