# Mites in isopod culture??



## Tiffany Parker (Dec 11, 2019)

I was misting my isopod culture and noticed what appear to be soil mites. Are these harmful to my isopods? I need advise ): **This is my first isopod culture**


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## Villagecreep (Dec 11, 2019)

Tiffany Parker said:


> I was misting my isopod culture and noticed what appear to be soil mites. Are these harmful to my isopods? I need advise ): **This is my first isopod culture**


im having the same problem. no clue though...


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## Arthroverts (Dec 11, 2019)

If it is just a few, that is not a problem. Most isopod cultures get them every now and then. However, if you are having a major outbreak with numerous mites on and around the isopods, as well as many hanging out on the supplemental food regularly, then you have a problem.

Hope this helps,

Arthroverts


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## Aquarimax (Dec 13, 2019)

Tiffany Parker said:


> I was misting my isopod culture and noticed what appear to be soil mites. Are these harmful to my isopods? I need advise ): **This is my first isopod culture**


Do you have springtails in the culture? They can help prevent/control noted by competing for the same food sources.


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## Vanessa (Dec 15, 2019)

I like having soil mites, because they love snacking on fungus gnat larvae. I have never had them get out of control.


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## richard22 (Dec 17, 2019)

Tiny slow-moving white mites are probably grain mites and can easily invade moist enclosures and be a nuisance eating frass, while tiny slow-moving black or dark-red mites are probably soil mites and are harmless and breed slowly, and faster mites of different colors (like tiny fast-moving white mites with longer legs, or larger brown mites that _resemble _ticks) are probably predatory and might prey on springtails. Soil mites are fine in my opinion, but if other mites start appearing frequently at the top you could sieve the culture or manually pick out isopods and restart (this method is not very effective in springtail cultures unless you have an industrial sieve to only retrieve the adult springtails). If you feel inclined you could occasionally sieve your entire culture to slowly weed out the mites or even dry out and mix the substrate, but you must not lower the isopod culture humidity too far or they’ll dessicate.

Reactions: Helpful 2


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