Mites!!!

[Kreatz]

hi guys! can anyone help me how to get rid of mites? beside taking out the left overs and microwaving the substrate? :8o

 

[Blackbeard]

Hi Kreatz.

I have read about a method to battle mite infestation on a Dutch tarantula hobyist forum.
Bear in mind however that this concerns a product that may not be available in your area.

Several people who had a mite problem used predatory mites.
These are mites that hunt mites from other species.
I'm not sure if that is the proper name in Englisch though.

The product is a bottle with dry filler that contains around 5000 live mites.
Once a small amount of these guys are released they will eradicate every other mite species in the enclosure until they themselves die because there isn't any food left.

The company name is Refona and the product is called Dutchy's. (silly coincidence :} )

The product page: http://www.refona.nl/refona/pages/nl/dutchy-s-r.php

I'm afraid the site is in Dutch and German only so I ran it through Google translate for you and I also edited the translation a bit because Google didn't exactly do a stellar job.

General.
Dutchy's are mites from the Laelapidae family and come in large parts of Europe free in nature. They live in the ground where they hunt on various soil organisms. When these mites are released in animal enclosures, they are fierce opponents of amongst others blood mites. They chase after them all day an eat them. It is a matter of time, these mites are almost always the winner.

Dutchy life.
Dutchy's ® are about 1 mm. They have a drop-shaped body, are light in color and very energetic. They feed on various organisms, such as the larvae of small flies, springtails and mites of various types, including blood mites. Their eggs are deposited in the ground or other suitable places. After several days the larvae come out, which eventually mature after several molts into predatory mites. Dutchy's ® blood meal on average 5 mites per day. When we introduce them in time they will often prevent a pest form developing. They are also capable of fighting severe infestation, but then several predatory mites are released.

When Dutchy's ® has been introduced during a period of several days it may appear like more blood mites are be observed. This is because the blood mites are chased out of hiding by the predatory mites. However, the mites will continue to chase after them, so this effect disappears after a short period. Dutchy's ® are also capable of surviving a period of food scarcity. No breeding will take place during that period. They will also eat each other if necessary. They will do no harm to your animals. By continuing food shortages, they die after a few weeks.
The predatory mite lives on average 6 weeks.

Environment.
Dutchy's ® prefer to live at a temperature of 15 to 25 º C. When the temperature is below or above these values will they remain in a resting phase. They then sit back and wait until conditions improve and then go hunting again. When exposed to frost, they will almost all die.

When the mites are supplied they are packed in a plastic bottle containing a quantity of spreading material. There bottles with 2500 mites (10 doses), 5000 mites (20 doses) and 10,000 mites (40 doses). When you look at this material with a magnifying glass you can see the mites move between the grains. It is envisaged that this scattering material is deposited in small piles in sheltered places in the enclosure. In the first two weeks, the mites will return to the pile daily to meet and mate. Also there are still a lot of eggs and larvae in this material that will likely mature. For the exact method of expansion and the doses refer to the specific user manuals.

Dosage.
When the mites are used to exterminate a mild infestation a bottle cap of material per square meter is sufficient.
Medium damage is can be treated with two, or if you have a serious attack then three cups per square meter of enclosure is used. These mounds do not have to be distributed evenly over the entire enclosure. Along the sides is fine, as long as you adhere to the above mentioned doses.

I dont think they ship abroad although I did read about a guy in Ireland who managed to place an order via email so you could give it a try.
E-mail: info@refona.nl (had to look that up in the source code of the contact page. Stupid forms. )
Shipping overseas is going to be tricky anyway because the expiration period of the bottle is only 5 days according to the site. Perhaps you can find a local company that supplies a similar product.
I realise this info may not be any use to you but I figure getting the info out there could possibly help others as well.

p.s.
I have no personal experience with this method so I am going by reports of other poeple.

 

[TreeGuy]

An internet search for greenhouse biological control within your area should turn up companies who supply predatory mites.
The tricky part will be if they have the right kind of mites.
If you take them a sample of the mites you have they will likely be willing to identify it and then sell you a predatory mite that will take care of them, if they have it that is.

Worth a shot,

best of luck.

 

[curiousme]

hi guys! can anyone help me how to get rid of mites? beside taking out the left overs and microwaving the substrate? :8o

What type of mites are you having a problem with?

 

[Kreatz]

What type of mites are you having a problem with?

the white one in the substrate, i think the left overs did this but i always cleaning it after they fed :8o

 

[Poxicator]

Quick reply: dry out your substrate but reduing how much moisture you add and improve your tank maintenance.

If you want to read more about mites check out my thread here:
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/spiders-inverts/388524-guide-mites.html

 

[curiousme]

the white one in the substrate, i think the left overs did this but i always cleaning it after they fed :8o

Those mites are not harmful and are definitely not worth stressing over, unless the substrate looks like white carpet. If you see a white thing crawling from time to time, that is really just normal. If you have plants, it is almost a constant. Redoing the entire enclosure is stressful for a T, so unless it looks like a white carpet, let it dry out naturally and they will eventually go away. My guess is that you are keeping the enclosure a little on the wet side, so you can quit adding moisture for a week or so and it will eventually dry out. Don't spend money on predatory mites, unless the mites are on your tarantula.

What are you feeding your T, just out of curiosity? Removing boluses quickly will help as well, but it sounds like you are already doing that.

 

[Kreatz]

Those mites are not harmful and are definitely not worth stressing over, unless the substrate looks like white carpet. If you see a white thing crawling from time to time, that is really just normal. If you have plants, it is almost a constant. Redoing the entire enclosure is stressful for a T, so unless it looks like a white carpet, let it dry out naturally and they will eventually go away. My guess is that you are keeping the enclosure a little on the wet side, so you can quit adding moisture for a week or so and it will eventually dry out. Don't spend money on predatory mites, unless the mites are on your tarantula.

What are you feeding your T, just out of curiosity? Removing boluses quickly will help as well, but it sounds like you are already doing that.

Ok thanks, I am feeding my T's mealworm, Blatta lateralis and cricket depending on the day :worship:

 

[Johnny1320]

Those mites are not harmful and are definitely not worth stressing over, unless the substrate looks like white carpet. If you see a white thing crawling from time to time, that is really just normal. If you have plants, it is almost a constant. Redoing the entire enclosure is stressful for a T, so unless it looks like a white carpet, let it dry out naturally and they will eventually go away. My guess is that you are keeping the enclosure a little on the wet side, so you can quit adding moisture for a week or so and it will eventually dry out. Don't spend money on predatory mites, unless the mites are on your tarantula.

What are you feeding your T, just out of curiosity? Removing boluses quickly will help as well, but it sounds like you are already doing that.

So do you ditch the plants so you can keep the substrate on the dry side?

 

[Kreatz]

I dont even have a plant in my enclosure...

 

[curiousme]

So do you ditch the plants so you can keep the substrate on the dry side?

Nope, we just live with them. They aren't harmful and we choose to have naturalistic planted enclosures, so if we see them, we don't freak out about them.