Jennifer0148
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2014
- Messages
- 5
First, yes, I know they’re harmless. I’ve read boina’s thread, as well as the thread about them on Reptile Forums UK. I know they won’t kill my Ts. I know I can even eat them and be fine. I’m not freaking out about any possible danger. However, I don’t want them all over the place, either, and that’s exactly what has happened.
I got in a container of superworms that apparently had grain mites inside and lots of dead superworms. I left it on a table on which I had a jumping spider, a juvenile Avic, a scorpion, and a snake. The next day as I was going to feed my spiders, I noticed the grain mites coming out of the container in hordes and they had had time overnight to wander into my red eared slider’s tank (they’re currently hanging out on the filter since it’s moist) and two adjoining shelves—one of which had my 20 or so slings. Of course, now they’re everywhere and I feel anxious/depressed because I am concerned about them getting upstairs and into the bird’s and cat’s spaces and foods before I can deal with them downstairs. They may not kill but they may cause allergic reactions to some animals and I want to prevent that as well an infestation of my other pets’ foods.
I threw out pretty much everything on that table and wiped off as many as I could from the adjoining spaces. I checked the snake and scorpion and there’s a few on their enclosures but not many. The same goes for the slings. My adults P. metallica’s enclosure has far more and I can already see them in her water bowl. I’ve started putting pieces of apple and tomato in enclosures, drawing the mites to them, and then discarding them. But that won’t be enough, certainly not to deal with those wandering around elsewhere.
My question is how I can reduce their populations down to the norm—since from what I understand they’re going to be around no matter what (if I could kill them off I would). I’m thinking of getting a dehumidifier, wiping down everything with water and/or alcohol, and then cleaning and rehousing my Ts. Since they’re really small enclosures, I can easily wash them with hot water and soap. I have spares that I can use to move some into while I clean the others to make the process faster. The biggest trouble will be the adult P. metallica, but hey she needed an upgrade anyway. I’ve also read about pea flour in a study, so I was thinking of sprinkling that in the area this happened in and hoping it kills the stragglers. I know those left behind will probably go back to the turtle’s filter, so I can continue wiping them off there.
I just don’t want them getting literally everywhere, including our own food, in huge numbers, anyway. I’ve never had this issue in over 20 years of keeping exotics and feeders. Bad luck strikes everyone at least once, though, I guess.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Will the straggler mites that kept walking to the next two shelves die without food and with a dehumidifier on? Will they even walk further than the areas I’ve described? From what I understand they don’t walk much and latch on to other things to move. Thanks.
I got in a container of superworms that apparently had grain mites inside and lots of dead superworms. I left it on a table on which I had a jumping spider, a juvenile Avic, a scorpion, and a snake. The next day as I was going to feed my spiders, I noticed the grain mites coming out of the container in hordes and they had had time overnight to wander into my red eared slider’s tank (they’re currently hanging out on the filter since it’s moist) and two adjoining shelves—one of which had my 20 or so slings. Of course, now they’re everywhere and I feel anxious/depressed because I am concerned about them getting upstairs and into the bird’s and cat’s spaces and foods before I can deal with them downstairs. They may not kill but they may cause allergic reactions to some animals and I want to prevent that as well an infestation of my other pets’ foods.
I threw out pretty much everything on that table and wiped off as many as I could from the adjoining spaces. I checked the snake and scorpion and there’s a few on their enclosures but not many. The same goes for the slings. My adults P. metallica’s enclosure has far more and I can already see them in her water bowl. I’ve started putting pieces of apple and tomato in enclosures, drawing the mites to them, and then discarding them. But that won’t be enough, certainly not to deal with those wandering around elsewhere.
My question is how I can reduce their populations down to the norm—since from what I understand they’re going to be around no matter what (if I could kill them off I would). I’m thinking of getting a dehumidifier, wiping down everything with water and/or alcohol, and then cleaning and rehousing my Ts. Since they’re really small enclosures, I can easily wash them with hot water and soap. I have spares that I can use to move some into while I clean the others to make the process faster. The biggest trouble will be the adult P. metallica, but hey she needed an upgrade anyway. I’ve also read about pea flour in a study, so I was thinking of sprinkling that in the area this happened in and hoping it kills the stragglers. I know those left behind will probably go back to the turtle’s filter, so I can continue wiping them off there.
I just don’t want them getting literally everywhere, including our own food, in huge numbers, anyway. I’ve never had this issue in over 20 years of keeping exotics and feeders. Bad luck strikes everyone at least once, though, I guess.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Will the straggler mites that kept walking to the next two shelves die without food and with a dehumidifier on? Will they even walk further than the areas I’ve described? From what I understand they don’t walk much and latch on to other things to move. Thanks.
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The P. metallica is supposed to be the hardest rehouse due to her size but she’s not a troublemaker, so it should be ok.