A. gigas Mites.

[Travis K]

Couple Qs...

1. How much is too much?

2. What is the best way to rid your A. gigas of this fast moving mite? (please don't answer unless you actually have experience with removing mites.

3. Does this commensal mite have a species name?


In regards to removal, I was kinda wondering if pseudoscorpions would be able to help keep things in check but worried that they may predate the baby plings.

Cheers,

 

[Travis K]

45 hits and no replies?

 

[zonbonzovi]

I was going to speculate, but...

please don't answer unless you actually have experience with removing mites.

I'd assume it's much like any other myriapod, if the mites are numerous enough to block sensitive areas, removal is necessary. Don't know if these mites will abandon the milli like others in an ICU, but it might be worth the experiment. You could use a small paintbrush or a gentle rinse, maybe? Here's a link 'bout the mites:

http://leb.daba.lv/Mesostigmata_Diplopoda.pdf

I'm interested to see how things turn out, T...

 

[Travis K]

Always a smart ass John

These mites are not slow moving or static like the ones found on WC Ts. They almost look like very small very fast spiders, and they are not easy to get off with your fingers. I will try a couple of different techniques but running under water makes me kinda nervous with AGBs. It has taken me a long time to get them to bredable sizes.

Has any one run AGBs under water to remove some of the mites?

And in reference to all the internet legend about the millies needing them... I can tell the AGBs are irritated at the amount of activity happening on them. They are constantly trying to rub these guys off as if they were relieving an itch. I don't want to totally eradicate them per se, but I would like to thin them out by at least 90%. I figure I have about 15-20 mites per AGB.

John thanks for the link. I hope to have Electron Microscope images posted of these mites soon. A good friend of mine just ordered an electron microscope for his employer, but the quake in Japan has set the delivery time back indefinitely.

Cheers,

******* I plan on giving him little bags of exoskeleton every week or so, so if any of you have something you want scanned let me know after I post my first images.

 

[zonbonzovi]

******* I plan on giving him little bags of exoskeleton every week or so, so if any of you have something you want scanned let me know after I post my first images.

Kid in a candy store. So many neat yet tiny lifeforms up here that I'd like to know more about but that my camera skills/eyes won't or can't reveal. Can't wait!

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Most of the captve bred AGBs don't have mites, until a few months ago I worried I'd never see an AGB mite again. Congrats!

 

[Travis K]

Most of the captve bred AGBs don't have mites, until a few months ago I worried I'd never see an AGB mite again. Congrats!

Worried? Would you like me to send you some?

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

A few months ago the answer would have been yes, most certainly, but I was able to find some.

 

[Fyreflye]

Most of the capitve bred AGBs don't have mites, until a few months ago I worried I'd never see an AGB mite again. Congrats!

I was under the assumption that they do just fine without the mites! Now i'm confused.

 

[Travis K]

I was under the assumption that they do just fine without the mites! Now i'm confused.

Orin did not comment on whether they were beneficial or not, just that he didn't know if he would ever see them(AGB commensal Mites) again.

 

[Fyreflye]

Orin did not comment on whether they were beneficial or not, just that he didn't know if he would ever see them(AGB commensal Mites) again.

You are correct there, sir! See here i am assuming again, thinking that since Orin was interested in obtaining the mites, that meant that he would be using them on his pedes.

 

[Travis K]

that meant that he would be using them on his pedes.

They would not survive without the A. gigas, again see my previous post.:}

 

[Dave]

I once removed mites off of a hissing cockroach successfully with flour. I little flour in a zip lock bag with the roach, "shake and bake" and the mites lose their grip and stay in the flour. Brush off the flour from the roach, no more mites.

Of course I'm not sure how this would work on an expensive millipede. lol
Just throwing it out there.

 

[Nikos]

Couple Qs...

2. What is the best way to rid your A. gigas of this fast moving mite? (please don't answer unless you actually have experience with removing mites.

Cheers,

I just placed them in the sink and rinsed them with tap water (lots of it).

Even after 5-6 years from the day I "cleaned" them, I still believe I shouldn't have done so.
I kinda liked them but they were tooo many, maybe I should have kept some...

 

[Travis K]

I just placed them in the sink and rinsed them with tap water (lots of it).

Even after 5-6 years from the day I "cleaned" them, I still believe I shouldn't have done so.
I kinda liked them but they were tooo many, maybe I should have kept some...

Yeah,

I wont be removing all of them. I got a 60x jewelers scope over the weekend and looked a the mites. They are very neat. I was sick this weekend though and only looked at them for about 15 mins.

I was watching to see just what they did on the AGB. I am interested to see them feeding specifically. I am thinking I will try the running water technique less one of the AGBs to keep some of the mites.

Any one know how these reproduce? Are the eggs attached to the AGB or do they just get deposited on the substrate? I didn't notice any 'flea' like eggs on the AGB that I examined but like I said I didn't look that long.

Cheers,

 

[Travis K]

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=208545

I am posting the above link as it pertains to this specific thread title for future searches that some may do in this forum. Technically mites belong in the 'Other Arachnids' section.

Cheers,

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 AM ----------

I was going to speculate, but...



I'd assume it's much like any other myriapod, if the mites are numerous enough to block sensitive areas, removal is necessary. Don't know if these mites will abandon the milli like others in an ICU, but it might be worth the experiment. You could use a small paintbrush or a gentle rinse, maybe? Here's a link 'bout the mites:

http://leb.daba.lv/Mesostigmata_Diplopoda.pdf

I'm interested to see how things turn out, T...

I used to paint brush for removal of the mites to photograph in the above link and it work surprisingly well. I will take them all out and then manually remove most of the mites at a later time(when I am not feeling lazy and have time to do it).

Cheers,

 

[SkyeSpider]

Are there any updates on the removal? I'm in a similar boat and desperately need to remove a large number from my 3 A. gigas.

 

[Galapoheros]

Hey enternal I was wondering if compressed air might knock some of them off, you know in the cans you can buy for blowing keyboards clean and other things. I know it's prob some other gas but would still prob be harmless to the milli imo as long as you didn't blast the milli directly too hard.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Are there any updates on the removal? I'm in a similar boat and desperately need to remove a large number from my 3 A. gigas.

I'll trade you something for them, I can never keep them alive more than a year.

 

[SkyeSpider]

I'll trade you something for them, I can never keep them alive more than a year.

What, now? I'm confused