Roach colony has mites

snarboy

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
16
So I keep tarantulas and I use b lateralis roaches for feeding. My neighbor recently fumigated their apartment and so I had to have my mom watch the Ts and feeders for about a month until it was safe for them to return. In the meantime, I guess she bought dubia roaches from Petco to add to my blatta bin without my knowledge. They are back today and as I was doing maintenance and trying to separate them I noticed several mites running around. I am doing a thorough cleaning but have no idea how to get the mites and the eggs off them, also no idea if theyve contaminated my blatta roaches.
I don't want to risk it spreading in my room while I try to stave off the mites. I have about 20 or so roaches left (most are dubia, only about 4 or 5 blatta from my original bin) and I was considering euthanizing them and starting over. Is this reasonable or are there things I can do about it?
Also apparently she has not fed the tarantulas since getting the dubias thankfully
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
11,048
IF the mites are problematic and IF they are swarming then it is reasonable to assume everything in the room is contaminated. If that is the case there is no simple solution.
The problematic mites are photophobic and will hide everywhere. Since the young are microscopic any joint, crevice or crack can harbor them. They are resistant to all fumigants except the powerful commercial grades that can penetrate into walls, floors and furniture.
Eradication is normally accomplished by removing all food sources through an extended gestation period - mating, gestation, egg laying, maturing. Usually 3 weeks or more. Alternatively nearly all mites die off in winter - <50 F. There are usually a few survivors.

From what I've been reading, Petco outlets and distribution centers are contaminated. Presently there are unprecedented outbreaks of mites world wide, such businesses can easily become infested and they aren't about to undertake the extreme eradication measures and lose profits.
 

snarboy

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
16
IF the mites are problematic and IF they are swarming then it is reasonable to assume everything in the room is contaminated. If that is the case there is no simple solution.
The problematic mites are photophobic and will hide everywhere. Since the young are microscopic any joint, crevice or crack can harbor them. They are resistant to all fumigants except the powerful commercial grades that can penetrate into walls, floors and furniture.
Eradication is normally accomplished by removing all food sources through an extended gestation period - mating, gestation, egg laying, maturing. Usually 3 weeks or more. Alternatively nearly all mites die off in winter - <50 F. There are usually a few survivors.

From what I've been reading, Petco outlets and distribution centers are contaminated. Presently there are unprecedented outbreaks of mites world wide, such businesses can easily become infested and they aren't about to undertake the extreme eradication measures and lose profits.
From what I can tell I can only see a few and they don't seem to be hiding on the roaches themselves, just running around (although they were under bright light and I removed the hiding spots in the bin) I also found them in my cricket bin. They were mostly in the food dish which I realized my mom added strange foods to on the bottom, I'm wondering if they're from that. Since I can't see the eggs or microscopic ones I really have no clue how big of a problem this is, but I'm hesitant to take chances or feed my Ts any of them.
I usually order roaches from reputable distributors and go to petco for crickets, I always assume the worst at petco so I try not buying anything other than the crickets but now I'm thinking as a future precaution I should find somewhere else.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
11,048
The only non extreme option available is take the precautions you have been undertaking and watch your animals closely for signs of stress. Mild infestations of predator mites are rarely lethal but can lead to unthrifty breeders and unhealthy young with higher than normal mortality rates.

Ordinary soap is useless but a strong surfactant as in laundry detergent will drown mites. Spraying areas with such a detergent solution is an easy way to restrict mite spreading.
 
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