# Killing grain mites?



## Keister (May 9, 2016)

Just curious if you have grain mites in a bin while feeding a dry roach chow and then switch over to a pure veggie fruit diet will this kill off the grain mites being that they don't have any grain to feed/ breed on?


----------



## Hisserdude (May 10, 2016)

Keister said:


> Just curious if you have grain mites in a bin while feeding a dry roach chow and then switch over to a pure veggie fruit diet will this kill off the grain mites being that they don't have any grain to feed/ breed on?


Unfortunately not, if anything they will thrive more on a moisture filled diet, and they don't need grain specifically to breed.


----------



## truecreature (May 10, 2016)

Getting rid of grain mites is a lost cause, the most you can do is try to control them so they don't build up too much. It helps to keep the cage as dry as possible and remove any food like veggies within 24 hours if it hasn't been eaten. They love moisture and decaying stuff

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## sschind (May 10, 2016)

if possible try keeping your bin drier.  I've found that is the best way to control grain mites.  I microwave all my dry food now but still get outbreaks if the humidity climbs.  I'm not sure I'd say its a lost cause if you can keep the humidity down.  

I used to keep my excess wheat bran in a large green garbage can and once I happened to glance over into the corner and I remember thinking "when did I get that tan garbage can ... and why is it moving?"  I don't have a problem now but I think its because the grain moth larvae eat them  The bright side of that is my mantids have lots of free food.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tenevanica (May 10, 2016)

It would be easier to kill the substrate lol!

Seriously though, once you have mites, you ALWAYS have mites. It's not about killing them, but about controlling them. I'm lucky enough to have never had a mite problem, so I feel like @Hisserdude could help you more on how to control them. I know he loves mites!

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## Hisserdude (May 10, 2016)

Tenevanica said:


> It would be easier to kill the substrate lol!
> 
> Seriously though, once you have mites, you ALWAYS have mites. It's not about killing them, but about controlling them. I'm lucky enough to have never had a mite problem, so I feel like @Hisserdude could help you more on how to control them. I know he loves mites!


Hah, if by love you mean HATE, then yes, I looove mites. 

To the OP, you can never completely eliminate them, just control their numbers. Keeping the bin drier, lowering the amount of food fed, and increasing ventilation can all help reduce their numbers. 

For a bin that infested, you may want to look into predatory mites, however those can stress out certain invertebrates themselves. Or you can go for a clean up crew, though you would need to clean out the bin before adding any crew, to give them a fighting chance.

Hope this helps!


----------



## The Snark (May 10, 2016)

Grain mite control. Reduce humidity below 50% constantly for 3 months. Will reduce the population below ~2%. Any lapse and you have to start over. This is why keeping grains in hermetically sealed containers doesn't work. The moisture in the grains maintains a higher humidity. The mites also derive moisture from each other as they die off.
IE the mites are much hardier than the animals you are keeping.

Reactions: Informative 1 | Clarification Please 1


----------



## The Snark (Sep 25, 2016)

Grain mites must have some moisture. The Entomologist I spoke to believes they can't produce viable offspring without it. 
Simply sealing a jar of grain won't work as there is enough moisture in the grain for them to stay healthy. I tested this on a jar of infested rice. Rice normally contains about 12% moisture. They kept on eating in the sealed jar until there was nothing but powder. On another identical jar I put a packet of dessicant on top of the rice and changed it every week. The mite population diminished to almost nothing, leaving 3/4 of the grain untouched.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


----------

