# Mites suck dude



## Evan Keller (Dec 4, 2008)

Not sure if anybody has ever made a mite roasting thread but here is mine. I hate mites, they suck. No matter how hard I try, they come back. It's a part of the trade I guess?! Anyway, post up with your mite bashing comments!!


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

This stuff has worked for me for a year now... no mites ever. 

Natural Chemistry Mite Spray (8oz)


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Unless you set up sterile conditions and use flies that have been individually cleaned of mites you will have mites.. all you can do it manage them. 

If you are having problems with your springtail cultures, use active yeast as a food until they disappear and then you can slowly add back other foods but only feed what the springtails can eat in a day or so otherwise the mites will rebound. 

Ed


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## Evan Keller (Dec 4, 2008)

Yea I actually used a similar spray a while ago but had no such luck, maybe it's time to try it again!

Ed- funny you should say that, my genetics professor got a mite infestation in all of the fruit fly stocks in the genetics lab and had to spend a whole summer individually screening every fruit fly in the library in order to get rid of them.


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## PantMan (Dec 10, 2009)

i just got back from playing five hours of ultimate so I'm really tired.
When I first read the post I was like WTF i do not S D.

Anyhow couple things you can do. 

When making cultures dust the flies first and only pour out the first 2/3. use the other 1/3 to feed. that will cut down on transferring mites from one culture to another. 

I also use tedion soultion http://www.jtresser.com/drosophila.html

Lastly I keep my cultures in a about 2 inches of water (mites don't swim) I like it way more then mite paper of sprays because you don't have to worry about replacing the paper or how much to apply....

actually another thought. After 4 months move old cultures away form new cultures. Mites are inevitable. but htese steps have worked well for me.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

PantMan said:


> i just got back from playing five hours of ultimate so I'm really tired.
> When I first read the post I was like WTF i do not S D.
> 
> Anyhow couple things you can do.
> ...


I hope you mean weeks! 

If only FF cultures last for 4 months...


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

PantMan said:


> iLastly I keep my cultures in a about 2 inches of water (mites don't swim) I like it way more then mite paper of sprays because you don't have to worry about replacing the paper or how much to apply....


While the mites we see in cultures can't swim, the reason of which is because they don't breach the surface tension of the water, I'm curious as to why you think they can't simply walk to the next culture... 

Ed


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## PantMan (Dec 10, 2009)

Ed said:


> While the mites we see in cultures can't swim, the reason of which is because they don't breach the surface tension of the water, I'm curious as to why you think they can't simply walk to the next culture...
> 
> Ed


Honesty, never considered that. Thanks Ed I'm going to have to rethink my setup


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## PantMan (Dec 10, 2009)

Mitch said:


> I hope you mean weeks!
> 
> If only FF cultures last for 4 months...


Yeah Mike needs a nap. Whole lot of running today. But hey my team won the tournament so the blisters, bruises and exhaustion is so worth it.


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## Evan Keller (Dec 4, 2008)

Ed- i have actually recently moved my cultures to water because of the whole mites can't swim principle, i think what he forgot to mention is the small addition of dish soap to the water which breaks the surface tension of the water making anything that comes in contact sink. 
At least this is what i do.


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Ed said:


> While the mites we see in cultures can't swim, the reason of which is because they don't breach the surface tension of the water, I'm curious as to why you think they can't simply walk to the next culture...
> 
> Ed


I use this method and I find tons of drowned mites in the tubs I keep my cultures in. Maybe there are a few that walk on across but it seems to get some of them. I also spray the water in the tubs with a geneorus amount mite off. Mites are a pain and what upsets me the most is when I find them on my tanks.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

saruchan said:


> I use this method and I find tons of drowned mites in the tubs I keep my cultures in. Maybe there are a few that walk on across but it seems to get some of them. I also spray the water in the tubs with a geneorus amount mite off. Mites are a pain and what upsets me the most is when I find them on my tanks.


 
If you suspend a toxin to the mites on the water surface then they are going to contact it just like they would if they were on mite paper.. 

Decreasing the water tension of the surface by adding a surfactant (soap or detergent) will solve the problem but keep in mind that over time bacteria will reduce the amount of soap which can change the surface tension. 

It is just as easy to move mite cultures older than 3 weeks into another area as the mite life cycle is close to 30 days which does the same thing without all of the complicated hassles... 

Mites can walk quite a distance so if your seeing them on your tanks, then they are probably either coming from a different feeder culture or are escaping your mite death trap...


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## Evan Keller (Dec 4, 2008)

hahaha mite death trap.... we need to perfect this invention


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