using Hypoaspis miles

[matija]

hi,

has anyone here ever used Hypoaspis miles in their T tanks for getting rid of mites?

how were they used? and how were they kept outside tarantula tanks?

thanks
matija

 

[Cirith Ungol]

I've used H. miles with my Pimp. (scorpion). They worked quite well, but some mites are still left. Or pehaps I just think so because maybe they are dried up but still sit on the scorp... I don't know.

When you get the mites you should check how many you have in your container. Then just drop a certain ammount of carrier soil into the enclosure and the mites will take over from there.

Once all food has been eaten the H. miles will die out.

 

[matija]

well, i did put some of that vermiculite in every infested tank, so now i can just wait and see...


i've puted some of them in my infested mealworm boxes that are swarming with mites...this will take longer to clean it or??

will H miles eat all the mealworm eggs?

i've read that H miles should be kept on 17 to 21'C ... in my animal room there is 25 to 26'C... will they die off or what?

thanks
matija

 

[wolfpak]

what's an Hypoaspis miles :?

 

[Cirith Ungol]

H. miles is a certain type of predatory mite.

If you keep the environment moist for the mites they should do fine even at higher temps. Now you will have to wait and see. You can count on that it may take a month or so until you get rid of all the mites.

I would suggest that you don't change substrate soon, because then you also throw the benificial effect of the mites out of the window since the soil will be "completely" clean once they have done their work...

Regarding the mites eating your mealworm eggs - only if they are small enough and I don't think they are. H.miles only eat mites and larvae which are a certain size. I've never seen a mealworm egg but I doubt they are the right size or type.

 

[Bigboy]

I used them once, I consider it now to be a waste of money.

 

[Duc de Blangis]

How hard is it to start a colony of these? Does anybody know where documentation on breeding these can be found? I did a quick search but didn't find much.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

I've researched that too, and I found out that it's pretty hard to actually breed them in a proper colony. Because firstly you have to breed another type of mites the predators can feed on. That might not be such a hard task in its own right what is hard though is containing them all in their container, feeding them the proper ammounts and finally seeing to it that you have a good balance between prey and predator.

But if you manage all that, please tell us about how you do it

 

[Duc de Blangis]

i'd like to visit the facilities that they are bred for inspiration.

 

[Lasiodora]

I used them to rid my versicolor tank of fungus gnats in Jan '05 when I set up the tank. They eradicated the knats and I've never had any mites. I also have wood lice in the tank and springtails which help clean up the tank. No left overs=no mites. I still have Hypoaspis miles living in the tank a year later. I see them once in awhile on or near the water bowl. The springtails are easier to spot because they don't blend in with the soil or bowl. The H.miles feed on the springtails and their eggs. I have a nice minature ecosystem going on in there I seed other tanks with the versicolor tank soil which contains spring tails and H.miles.

 

[Peyton Bemis]

Will the hypoaspis miles go on my tarantula? I have fungus gnats they have laid a ton of eggs and there flying all over my t blondis enclosure and scorps. Can anyone help me? Should i leave sub as is and put them in or clean it then put them in? TIA

 

[l4nsky]

<----- Zombie emote for zombie thread lol

DON'T use predatory mites to control fungus gnats. There are repurcussions to using H. miles indoors that most people aren't aware of. They won't harm your tarantula, but you won't be able to keep bioactive enclosures for years.

My collection skews towards moisture dependent tarantulas. Translation - I have a lot of enclosures with a lot of moist earth. Controlling the fungus gnat population is always an issue. Luckily, it's not that hard and can be done relatively cheaply. The most cost effective method is a simple apple cider vinegar trap (google it). It's an old home remedy that really works, but I'm not the biggest fan of the odor in my T room. Instead, I opt for UV bug traps. You can find them for sale on Amazon and they all utilize a UV light to attract flying insects and a sticky pad to capture them when they land. Some models also incorporate a fan to pull the insects into the trap. There are all kinds available on Amazon. I first started using a trap made by Eon Luxe Solutions that had a small UV light and a fan, but I've since upgraded to a Black and Decker model without the fan that's intended for restaurant kitchens. You will have to buy replacement sticky pads, but they last a long time. I get anywhere between 3-6 months per pad. Hope that helps.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[Peyton Bemis]

I dont use any other mites in my enclosures. I cant seem to beat these fungus gnats. So you say once u add them in you cant add other mites cause they will eat them or something?

 

[l4nsky]

I dont use any other mites in my enclosures. I cant seem to beat these fungus gnats. So you say once u add them in you cant add other mites cause they will eat them or something?

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/predatory-mite-question.315892/

Three years since I used H. miles and I'm only now starting to get springtails back in some of my enclosures. I believe they're a larger, temperate species of springtail which would explain why they've been able to get a foot hold with the H. miles. The smaller tropical springtails are just food.

Edit: Here's a link to a few different apple cider vinegar traps. They're specifically mentioning fruit flies, but it's equally effective against fungus gnats. I'll DM you the Amazon links to the two UV bug traps that I use as well.

https://www.craftymorning.com/best-homemade-fruit-fly-trap/