Mite problem. What predatory mites to use???

[Ace_Man]

The scorpion is about 2.5 inches long. I tried alcohol on him, they did not go away. The other pic is sadly the best out of many tries to get a clear shot. It's in my centipede's tank and they are all over him now. WHAT species of predatory mites will get rid of these???
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[spydrhunter1]

Hypoaspis miles http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/hypoaspis.html

 

[Galapoheros]

That's a great pic of the bad grain mites. If you buy pred mites, you don't need to dry out the substrate, you would dry out the good mites too. It's just that some people try to dry out the bad mites(which makes them go dormant) and use pred mites at the same time. Keep it clean and be patient, it can take months. And I think the bad grain mites can stay attached a long time even after they are dead so it may not look like it's working as well as it might be. By chance I ended up with pred mites in one of my cages so I just spread them around to other cages. Raising your own feeders isn't worth it to most people because they don't have enough to feed but it's another way to avoid those bad mites, I've seen them on feeder crix. Anyway, I've gotten rid of them ...or at least under control so I know it can be done. Good luck

 

[colicabcadam]

put the scorpion in the freezer for around 3 minutes........ the scorpion will slow down a little, the mites will die...

 

[Ace_Man]

How dangerous is that? Will he die by the fourth minute?

 

[colicabcadam]

nah, it'll probably be fine if you left it in there for longer, but i wouldn't risk it, all that will happen is it's metabilism will slow right down and it will be extremley docile until it warms back up.

if you feel unconfident, try it for 1 minute intervales....

 

[Galapoheros]

Cooling them down works but I would not use the freezer to do it. I wouldn't put them in a place that gets below freezing. Their extremities like feet and their "thin legs" can freeze very fast before their body can cool down even a little. I hope you haven't done that already. If you have, I hope it's OK. If you did, it may look OK but damage may show up later, like frostbite. This won't sound much safer but it is a lot safer. I've dropped scorpions and centipedes in a big bowl of water(rain water, tap water may be ok but I don't like the idea of the chlorine) and then added a lot of ice. They can stay under water for hours and survive. I know it's hard to get over the fear of them drowning because we think about how fast "we" drown. These are very different animals. They go limp and can appear dead so you can scrape those mites off with a something like a dental tool, knife, something like that. You can put the scorpion in a bowl of water, keep an eye on it for 15 to 20 minutes to see if it's moving or at least moving slow enough that you can work on it. It sounds stressful but several minutes later after they warm up and clear the water out, it's as though nothing ever happened to the scorpion. Then you can start keeping the cage in a way that will get rid of the mites or keep them under control. I've heard of people putting them in a baggy with flour and shaking it a little to cover the scorpion with flour. I don't know how that works. The mites are grain mites so maybe they come out of that hypopus stage and detach themselves because the flour might be food to them since they eat grains and decaying matter. I guess since they detach they can be brushed off easier, you might want to try that first.

 

[arachyd]

I don't think those are grain mites. There are literally thousands of kinds of mites. Grain mites usually have thin hairlike things coming out at the back (sorry, not too good at mite terminology) and tend to wander all over everything randomly. They will cluster on leftover food and damp spots. Yours appear to be concentrated in the scorp itself but not wandering and may be feeding from it. They are probably a parasitic type of mite. Where they are hiding I don't know if flour will get to them.

 

[Galapoheros]

The mites do look like you're describing but you are describing the adult active grain mites. The ones on the scorpion are in a stage called the hypopus stage. I think the reason they are very common in the hobby is because they come from feeders like crickets and mealworms that feed on grain based food. The mites get on the feeders and then on our inverts and in the cages. Here's a site where you can read about them, there are probably better sites though. http://www.ento.psu.edu/Extension/factsheets/flour_mites.htm

"At some time during the juvenile period, grain mites may change into a stage known as the hypopus. During this unique stage, the body wall hardens and suckers appear on the underside. These suckers allow the mite to attach to insects and other animals for dispersal. The eggs and especially the hypopuses appear to be more tolerant of insecticides than other juveniles or adults; and they may be the primary stage responsible for resurgences in mite populations after chemical control appeared to have been successful."

 

[Ace_Man]

They do wander all over the place, the pic is in a ten gallon tank and it is on the opposite side from the centipede. Sounds like predatory mites are the way to go though. Eveything else seems like a risk.