# moving- want to leave the mites behind



## Keroppi (Nov 23, 2004)

Hi! I was hoping for some opinions. My husband and I just bought a place and are moving in a few weeks. I have had a serious mite infestation for the last year. It has gotten to the point I am buying cultures every two weeks just to feed all of my frogs and the mites are wiping them out after a week or so. I was keeping it in check (somewhat) with miticide aka Benzyl Benzoate Solution. Being that I am 7 months pregnant I decided that maybe it wasn't smart to mess with pesticides so over the last 6 months it has gotten completely out of control. Not to mention for some reason the mites make me itch like crazy. Must be an allergy.

I was trying to figure out the best way to clean the tanks before I move them. Other than some type of cleaning solution is there anything I can do? Is this is even possible. I clean thousands off of my tanks every pther day. I was thinking of quarantining the frogs and them taking one of the home steam cleaners and steaming the stand ...the tank... everything in the tank except the plants. Anyone know if they live in the tanks or is it just the cultures. I am going to buy all new cultures from Eds and have them shipped to my new place but I don't think that is going to be enough. Please...any ideas ...opinions...thanks and sorry for the long post.

eve s.


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2006)

how many tanks do you have?


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## back2eight (Dec 19, 2005)

I would like to know how to get rid of them, too. I would also like to see a picture of a mite infestation in a culture of FFs so I know what to look for. Something is wrong with a few of mine and I don't know if it is black mold, mites, or something else.


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## Catfur (Oct 5, 2004)

It's night impossible without special equipment to get photos of a mite infested culture, the mites are no more than .3mm or so.


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2006)

where do you keep your cultures?


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

Hmm, this is really a tough one because moving has enough hastles on its own, not even thinking about you being pregnant. 

I'd take all of the frogs and set them up in plastic containers, similar to a quarintine. Then I'd buy a couple new tanks and rebuild every one of them. As you empty a tank, clean it (dish washer if it will fit) and build it up. Basically using the new tanks as a place to start with the rebuilding. As I finished a tank I'd take it to the new house or keep it in a pan of water. As for the plants, I don't know what to do, but a 10% bleach solution sounds like a good place to start. 

How many and what size tanks do you have?



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## Keroppi (Nov 23, 2004)

I have a few but not as many as some people on here. I have a 29 gallon with 2 azureus ...2 - 15 high with 2 leucs each...a 38 gallon with some whites tree frogs and then I have some tens going that are housing azureus froglets ...and lots of tadpole containers. The tad tanks are easy but the other 6 are going to be a pain.

The unfortunate fact is that rebuilding all of them with new tanks is out of my budget right now. Do you think leaving them outside for a few days when the temp is way down (below freezing) would kill them? Anyone know what conditions mites need to survive? Are they living in the substrate too? I have the reddish brown ones and the white ones. There has to be a way to kill these things!!

back2eight- look very closely at your cultures and focus on anything that you see that is small and on the round side. sometimes the white ones are easy to mistake for very small larvae but if you choose a few small white dots to focus on and they move very slowly then they are probably mites. They almost seem to glide. Obviously they are easier to see when you have a full blown infestation because everything moves. Also when you get lots of them you start seeing them on whatever surface you happen to keep your cultures on. Mine happen to be under the lights on top of my tanks so they are easy to spot on the glass. I would take a pic but catfur is right...they probably would not show up. Is that a chihuahua in your picture?  

Word of caution to brand new froggers. Be very very careful where you get your cultures. Last spring I had a food crisis and bought one infected culture from a pet store not knowing what mites look like and that was all it took. Now I wish I had ordered them and paid overnight shipping if I had to- it would have been easier and so much cheaper in the long run.


Thanks again.

eve s.


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## Keroppi (Nov 23, 2004)

any other thoughts? anyone? please..if anyone has ever managed to do this?


eve s.


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

Mites like you describe (all over the tanks) are, in my experience, not from the fruit fly cultures... though I'm not saying that is definitly not the case in your situation. Are you also culturing anything in a grain/oatmeal type medium... like mealworms or roaches?

I don't think you need to disinfect the tanks... once the source of the mites is gone (I'm guessing insect cultures), the mites should go away soon too.

If it is your fruit flies, I would recommend clean cultures from a reliable source (mail order, see our sponsors). Throw away all of your other cultures. Keep all new cultures in a separate room away from the current mite infestation, and keep them on mite paper (can be purchased from most of the fruit fly mail order places). To feed your frogs, take a dusting cup into the other room to collect flies. Then bring that to yuor frogs to feed. 

With no food source, the mites should die off, and then you can bring cultures back into the frogroom. I would recommend keeping them on the mite paper permanently.

If you do keep other insects, like mealworms, the two times this kind of "cover everything in the room" mite infestation has happened to me, I simply got rid of the culture and they were gone in a few days.

hth,
Josh


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## Keroppi (Nov 23, 2004)

AHHH.... Suddenly things are getting clearer. I have several flour beetle cultures going right next to where I have my cultures. They could indeed be a big part of the problem. I had not taken them into consideration at all. I have also seen them in the springtail culture. Thanks so much for the response...I will get rid of the other insect cultures for now, go with a thorough wipe down, get new cultures and keep my fingers crossed. Thanks again.

eve s.


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