Mites in humid enclosure

[Cecropia1999]

Noticed quite a few mites in one of my Asian forest scorpion enclosures. They are not on the scorpion and seem to just be crawling on top of the substrate. I do not think these are harmful, but would like someone more experienced to make sure. I plan to rehouse the scorpion anyway.

 

[Alveus]

It's hard to see on the pictures. But they look like predatory mites.

I have predatory mites in all of my bioactive enclosures. And they're welcomed.
They munch on Sciaridae/ gnats larvae, other mites ect. But they don't mean any harm to a healthy spider or scorpion.

I observe them in huge numbers in new enclosures. The numbers sinks after the bioactive system gets balanced.

 

[Diao]

I despise mites. They have done in a number of my animals, and i have developed a deeply rooted hatred of them as a direct result.

I had never dealt with mites in 30 years of keeping arachnids and then all the sudden I had some come in either on a poorly kept tarantula I took in or (more likely) they came in from an order of feeders that were bought to supplement my home grown feeders. They have been the bane of my existence ever since.

I combat the problem by always removing uneaten and unfinished food items as well as any other organic waste from enclosures ASAP. Especially within a high humidity environment, half an uneaten roach can absolutely explode with mites in less than a day if left to sit in the enclosure. I also add springtails and dwarf white isopods to all my humid tanks, which can be tricky to also find a good balance. It can take time, but tanks will usually equalize over time to healthy levels of both cleanup crews. My oldest enclosures are my Heterometrus spinifer communals and they are finally mite free after they balanced out the springtail to isopod ratio over a few years.

They suck, and they can be tough to beat, but stay diligent and you'll end up mite free again in the end. Best of luck!