# Very small 'dust-like' white bugs hanging around water dish... mites?



## Treklock (Feb 12, 2006)

Once again, concerning my P. regalis. Recently I had fruit flies due to high humidity/moisture, so to get rid of them, I let the substrate dry out completely, only leaving a small water dish. They seem to be gone.

Now, I've noticed a couple days ago that there were a lot of white little "dots" in the water. I thought they were air bubbles in the water, until I looked closer: some of these white dots were crawling on the plastic dish!

I called the seller (Reptile Amazone) and they told me that they were not mites: they're some sort of humidity bugs and they would not hurt the tarantula. 

He may be right. After all, I've looked closely at the substrate and walls, and there are no trace of them anywhere other than the water dish. Most of them lie right in the water. But I'm still not convinced.

Anyone can confirm? Are they mites and should I change the substrate/clean enclosure or are they truly just harmless humidity bugs?


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## moricollins (Feb 12, 2006)

change the substrate 

sounds an awful lot like mites.


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## juggalo69 (Feb 12, 2006)

If they are REALLY tiny and white your fine they are mites but they are the kind that eat rotting vegitation. If they are slightly bigger and more of a yellowish cream color and on your T they are the bad kind. I switched out my emp tanks 3 times before I figured it out.


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## Nate (Feb 12, 2006)

Anything like these?







If so, you got mites.


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## juggalo69 (Feb 12, 2006)

If I had a camera I would show you the other ones, much smaller and more white. I have them in my milli tank, used to have them in my emp tank but I haven't seen any since I had to change out due to mold. I have never seen ANY on  my scorps or my milli just on the substrate and the glass.


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## tarsier (Feb 12, 2006)

i get those too.  dont seem to bother my Ts and scorps.  But to be on the safe side,  I change the substrate when i can and dry out my tank when i cant.


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## juggalo69 (Feb 13, 2006)

From what I've heard they are non-carnivorious, they feed on rotting wood and vegitation. So I don't think they would be any threat at all.


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## Matt (Feb 13, 2006)

Hi!

They probably are springtails. -> garbagemen in terris.

Sprintails

Matthias


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## guitarlust (Feb 13, 2006)

yeah, i have the same thing going on in my b. emilia cage.  they are only located in and around the water bowl.  as for the picture, they absolutely look nothing like the mites in the photo.  they are tiny, white and so hard to see even as adults.  i dont know how my emilia is doing because its burrowed and has been for the past month.  i'm not too worried about it though.


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## LukeC (Feb 13, 2006)

Hi there, I think you have spring tails, I have them in my emps water dish, they wont harm your T.


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## Brian S (Feb 13, 2006)

Probably water is getting spilled out of your water dish which is keeping the substrate very moist which grows stuff like that.
Since are dealing with a Pokie here, try hot gluing a lid from a 2 liter soda bottle on the side od the container. This will help alot as far as keeping mites,springtails and scuttle flies at bay..


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