Yuck! Mites! Help?

[SkyeSpider]

I got a breeding pair of giant black african millipedes at a reptile show about a month ago. They're absolutely COVERED in mites. What's the best way to deal with these horrid little beasts without hurting my 'pedes?

I've never encountered a problem with mites before; let alone one this severe!

Any help?

-Bryan

 

[Alonso99]

Maybe predatory mites can be a solution. I dont know how to clean off the mites, never had millipedes.

 

[atavuss]

Originally posted by TheEternal
I got a breeding pair of giant black african millipedes at a reptile show about a month ago. They're absolutely COVERED in mites. What's the best way to deal with these horrid little beasts without hurting my 'pedes?

I've never encountered a problem with mites before; let alone one this severe!

Any help?

-Bryan

Bryan, some have said the mites are symbiotic and beneficial to the pedes.....myself, I don't want mites on anything! I too have the giant black millis and they have mites......I changed their substrate and left it dry. I tried washing the mites off under with running water from the tap......it STILL has mites, so I have given up and I keep the millis isolated from everything else in another room.
Ed

 

[SkyeSpider]

If there's no real way to deal with them, I may just get rid of the 'pedes (which I hate to do). I *HATE* mites.

My other black 'pedes never had them, in the past. It's just an odd situation to me.

-Bryan

 

[Lycanthrope]

a while back i purchased an african millipede(since traded for an emperor scorp). at the shop, the keeper showed me the mites, saying "if you kill those, you kill your pede."

 

[SkyeSpider]

I just find that so hard to believe, as my last african 'pede didn't have any mites at all.

-Bryan

 

[Wade]

Most likley, they are the harmless variety that feed on fungi that tends to grow on pedes living among moist leaf litter. Probably not anything to worry about, but if you want them gone Alonso's suggestion of predatorty mites is probably the best solution. What you want is Hypoaspis miles, usually sold as a bio control for fungus gnats. You can get them at www.biconet.com

I use them to control mites in all my moist tarantula, scorpion, myriapod cages. My millipedes seem to do just fine without their hitchikers.

Wade