# Can't shake these MITES.



## Cole (Dec 9, 2013)

Mites have destroyed my 2 springtail cultures! This is the third time in the last 12 months. Flies and Isopods seem to be doing fine even with the presence of mites. The flys seem to have very few if any mites, I've been tossing cultures at 4 weeks or less to assure this. 

I've attached a picture of my where I grow my bugs. The powder you see in the picture is Josh's Frogs bug blade. 


Any help or advice would be appreciated.


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## Entomologist210 (Apr 24, 2014)

What do the mites look like?


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## Cole (Dec 9, 2013)

Very, very tiny white dots. The are fairly quick as well.


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## JPP (Mar 25, 2015)

Don't stack cultures. Mites can travel freely between them, as the bug blade/DE isn't separating them. The plastic bins containing your fly cultures should have DE inside them, otherwise mites can freely travel between them as well.


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## Entomologist210 (Apr 24, 2014)

Look up _Acarus siro_ and tell us if they look like what you have. Just one genus I know, but most Acaridae look like that as well. If that's what you have, then they aren't killing your cultures. They eat mold, postage stamp glue, flour, ect. Though they will reproduce extremely quick and outcompete your springs for food. If the infestation is in all your cultures, then you might have to nuke 'em and start again after sterilizing the entire area.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

This thread may help you,
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/fo...clean-your-mite-contaminated-springtails.html

some comments 

Ed


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## Scott Lantz (Dec 11, 2016)

I just use air tight containers with charcoal and feed bakers yeast. Pop em open once every 3 days for feeding (first to the frogs, then for the remaining Springs) and a little water. If mites show up, I keep it closed for 7 days and they are all gone.

I'm sure Doug's info is the best solution and there may well be a reason mine is the wrong way. However, I rarely run low on springs rotating between 2 containers and cleaning once every 6 months.


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## serial hobbiest (Mar 5, 2017)

I completely agree with JPP. Mites can't jump, so use that fact to your advantage so they can't spread culture to culture. Given that they cannot pass through your barricade of Bug Blade, this tells me you probably introduced them yourself. Disinfect your hands & arms before handling each of your containers to prevent the transfer, otherwise all your efforts to eradicate them will be for naught. Also never touch your viv, then go handle your bug containers without disinfecting. Remember if they're inside the culture, they'll also likely be on the outside.

A side tip: It's a good idea not to set your containers directly in the Bug Blade, assuming it's mostly diatomaceous earth, at least. Some DE will stick to the bottom of your containers, so when you tip your flies into a new culture, you might be adding some DE if you don't wipe the bottoms off first. I find it more convenient to put each culture on its own pedestal so the containers are never in direct contact.


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## serial hobbiest (Mar 5, 2017)

Scott Lantz said:


> I just use air tight containers with charcoal and feed bakers yeast. Pop em open once every 3 days for feeding (first to the frogs, then for the remaining Springs) and a little water. If mites show up, I keep it closed for 7 days and they are all gone.
> 
> I'm sure Doug's info is the best solution and there may well be a reason mine is the wrong way. However, I rarely run low on springs rotating between 2 containers and cleaning once every 6 months.


I find this interesting. Using the springtails' tolerance to CO2 to your advantage while the mites all suffocate. Seems a little risky though. I should chime in here just to say I've popped a lid off springtail culture (after just 2 days- mind you it was swarming and there's not a lot of head space) and thought they were all dead. It took a few minutes, but they recovered with the fresh air, thankfully.


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## Scott Lantz (Dec 11, 2016)

I run charcoal halfway up and water about 1/3-1/2 way up the charcoal. I pour water/springs directly into the habitats.


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## Cole (Dec 9, 2013)

Lots of excellent info here! Thanks for the link Ed, Doug's post on cleaning infected cultures is very detailed with lots of great information. Unfortunately mine are already dead. My current worry is mites from the isopod cultures will get into new springtail cultures. The isopod cultures are not infected bad, it seems like the mites can't thrive as well in those. 

Looks like I've got some work ahead of me.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

There are some indications that isopods will predate on mites in their cultures. There are suggestions in some of the feeder culturing books from the EU that the use of isopods in springtail cultures can help control the mites. 

What are you feeding the isopods? 

some comments 

Ed


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## Entomologist210 (Apr 24, 2014)

Not actually true that I know of. I've never read a paper indicating that isopods predate even opportunistically on mites. However, since they use the same resources they can help outcompete the mites with the help of the collembola. Not sure exactly what it's called since I'm an entomologist/acarologist and not an ecologist. Intra-guild competition maybe?


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## Cole (Dec 9, 2013)

Isopods cultured in NEHERP Vivarium Substrate with additional leaves and fed Repashy Morning Wood.

I have Giant Gray and Dwarf White from NEHERP.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Entomologist210 said:


> Not actually true that I know of. I've never read a paper indicating that isopods predate even opportunistically on mites. However, since they use the same resources they can help outcompete the mites with the help of the collembola. Not sure exactly what it's called since I'm an entomologist/acarologist and not an ecologist. Intra-guild competition maybe?


Could that be due to the fact that people have pretty much ignored most terrestrial isopods as a potential predator on other arthropods but there are reports of cannibalism and the one report of predation by isopods on other arthropods appears to be the only published study (see Predation by Terrestrial Isopods - Edney - 1974 - Ecology - Wiley Online Library 
Edney, E. B., Warren Allen, and Joan McFarlane. "Predation by terrestrial isopods." Ecology 55.2 (1974): 428-433.) 


So we have an article that shows that terrestrial species (including two in the trade) can be active predators and they appear to prefer smaller prey.. 

some comments 

Ed


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Not sure if this helps your discussion, but I've seen my giant canyon isopods eat fruitflies and fruit fly larva. 

I would think that they would have no problem eating mites based on that but I have not seen them consume mites specifically with my own eyes...



Entomologist210 said:


> Not actually true that I know of. I've never read a paper indicating that isopods predate even opportunistically on mites. However, since they use the same resources they can help outcompete the mites with the help of the collembola. Not sure exactly what it's called since I'm an entomologist/acarologist and not an ecologist. Intra-guild competition maybe?


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## Entomologist210 (Apr 24, 2014)

What the?? Texas A&M doesn't have access to Wiley? I'll have to see if I can get it through my department. Still, the abstract says puparia were eaten. I'd imagine any intra-guild predation to occur in sessile life stages of the prey species, and then it would probably still be pretty rare in the presence of primary food sources. I still have trouble imagining that the isopods would actively go after live acari or collembola. Eggs and puparia aren't too big a stretch though. Ed is right that there probably is alot more going on that we just haven't done any research into so I'm open to the idea.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I looked into the isopod-mite link a number of years ago which is why I remembered the one paper on predation of fly pupae but the sources for the claims specifically originated in the EU in at least one book about culturing feeders. 

There are also some reports of predation in larger prey provided it is weak (see Cannibalism and Predation as Paths for Horizontal Passage of Wolbachia between Terrestrial Isopods)

Le Clec’h, Winka, et al. "Cannibalism and predation as paths for horizontal passage of Wolbachia between terrestrial isopods." PloS one 8.4 (2013): e60232. 

In this study, the study demonstrated that one isopod will predate on another if hungry so in a springtail culture with insufficient food for the isopod, predation on something might be expected but it could be on each other as easily as the mites or even some of the springtails. 

some comments 

Ed


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## Entomologist210 (Apr 24, 2014)

I see what you're saying. So opportunistic feeding may occur in the absence of other food sources. That seems plausible to me. In that case we might expect to find such feeding occurring in a culture that has an Acarid infestation where the mites are outcompeting the other inhabitants for food sources. Interesting! Has anyone else seen this behavior?


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

In my experience, when I feed my frogs I always throw the flies and some of the leftover vit powder in the same place. Whenever this is done the isopods run out and go after the fruit flies specifically. 

They don't always catch them however, and usually settle down in the area with the most vitamin powder. This area is covered in leaf litter and clippings of plants that I didn't save for cultivation. They love vitamin powder covered leaves and the powder itself.

I also some times place a small piece of sweet potato in a refugium like area so the isos and springs will have some extra nutrition. They are definitely not lacking in other food items and seem to relish in the prey as they are out even before the frogs are and have plenty of different types of food to choose from. 

If anyone wants an almost pest like isopod species then giant canyons are your species. This tank used to have a total of 3 types of isopods. Now there are only giant canyons.


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## Wekkerton (Jul 3, 2017)

All,

I think one of the easiest solutions on this particular case is to just move either fruitflies, or the springtail colonies to a different location. Mites travel easy, and they can easily get into your springtail containers.

Hope it helps!

Maikel


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