# The mite moat



## RobR (Dec 24, 2011)

So far so good, it's been running for a few months and both the spring and purple iso culture are booming without any sign of mites. Without having to use mite spray or paper.


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## grantska (Apr 12, 2012)

Simple, cheap and effective! I use this same method for my FF cultures and its been working great. It not only prevents mites from getting in, but also protects the other cultures if one happens to have a mite boom.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Water by itself isn't going to stop mites as they aren't going to break through the surface tension.. (and ones that do are going to have an air bubble around thier body that is going to prevent them fromd drowning)... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## RobR (Dec 24, 2011)

Ed said:


> Water by itself isn't going to stop mites as they aren't going to break through the surface tension.. (and ones that do are going to have an air bubble around thier body that is going to prevent them fromd drowning)...
> 
> Some comments
> 
> Ed


I added a few drops of dish soap before filling it up. Will that help?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

RobR said:


> I added a few drops of dish soap before filling it up. Will that help?


It will reduce the surface tension, whether it will reduce it enough is the big question.. for example, it make reduce it enough to cause the mite to sink but not enough to prevent the formation of an air bublble so the mite walks along the bottome to the next culture.....
Also just adding some soap to the water without mixing isn't going to cut it... You need to add the soap, mix it throughly and then place it under the cultures... You also need to change the water every few days since bacteria are able to use the soap as a nutrient source so the amount of soap available to disrupt the surface tension starts to change fairly quickly... This method is not a good way to prevent mites... (and some of the microbes that like the soap are known human pathogens like Serratia marcescens.... 

Some comments 

Ed


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## grantska (Apr 12, 2012)

Ed said:


> Water by itself isn't going to stop mites as they aren't going to break through the surface tension.. (and ones that do are going to have an air bubble around thier body that is going to prevent them fromd drowning)...


Hmmm interesting... Ed, your insight is always enlightening. The only question I have is if the mites are able to move themselves across the surface tensiom of the water why am I finding so many floating in it, dead?.


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## GP dynamite (Feb 19, 2013)

Ed said:


> Water by itself isn't going to stop mites as they aren't going to break through the surface tension.. (and ones that do are going to have an air bubble around thier body that is going to prevent them fromd drowning)...
> 
> Some comments
> 
> Ed


I've been using mite spray in water with poor results for my ff cultures. I just got benzyl benzoate. I plan to mix with alcohol and use a method I read here on the board. Ill report back with results.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

grantska said:


> Hmmm interesting... Ed, your insight is always enlightening. The only question I have is if the mites are able to move themselves across the surface tensiom of the water why am I finding so many floating in it, dead?.


1) how are you determining that they are dead mites as opposed to say shed skins? Adults can be as small as 0.013 inches

2) Lifespan under ideal conditions (96 % humidity and 77 F) is short and all of them may not be able to escape the water surface before dying of age related causes or even theoretically starving.... 

I should point out that the use of a water moat is actually going to make conditions more conducive to a number of mite species including those that feed on grains.. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I use anti mite shelving paper. It's cheap, simple, effective, and there's no messy sprays getting on me or in the air.
Love it.
New England Herpetoculture LLC - Insect Breeding Supplies


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## scoy (Jan 22, 2013)

The paper is deff the way to go, expecially if you have more that two cultures.


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## RobR (Dec 24, 2011)

Pumilo said:


> I use anti mite shelving paper. It's cheap, simple, effective, and there's no messy sprays getting on me or in the air.
> Love it.
> New England Herpetoculture LLC - Insect Breeding Supplies


I use the same paper/vendor on my ff cultures. I had the larger tub that could fit 2 shoeboxes already and had read that water with dish soap would stop them, figured I'd give it a try.


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## grantska (Apr 12, 2012)

Ed said:


> 1) how are you determining that they are dead mites as opposed to say shed skins? Adults can be as small as 0.013 inches
> 2) Lifespan under ideal conditions (96 % humidity and 77 F) is short and all of them may not be able to escape the water surface before dying of age related causes or even theoretically starving....
> I should point out that the use of a water moat is actually going to make conditions more conducive to a number of mite species including those that feed on grains..


You are most likely right, I was jumping to conclusions. I have spent enough time using the scientific method to know better. This is a good reminder to always do a quick DB search before using a new method.


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

I agree with the mite paper. 

I used to use mite spray & paper towels ... it did nothing to stop mites at all. To the point that they colonized on my bakers rack & I could see tiny white dots crawling everywhere against the black metal ... 

A bleach wipedown of the rack & some mite paper later ... I havent had any mite problems since.

I plan to stick with paper indefinitely.


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

So I got some of the mite paper today and the wrapper said it only works for 3 weeks - does anyone have experience with it lasting longer?


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## RobR (Dec 24, 2011)

mindcrash said:


> So I got some of the mite paper today and the wrapper said it only works for 3 weeks - does anyone have experience with it lasting longer?


I let mine go longer than that without issue. The only time I have ever had issues with mites is when I inadvertently paid for them.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

mindcrash said:


> So I got some of the mite paper today and the wrapper said it only works for 3 weeks - does anyone have experience with it lasting longer?


I use the "No Bugs" brand and find it to be effective for about 3 months.


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

I use a dry moat - the cultures lay on Diatomaceous Earth. It not only prevents mites, it also kills flying gnats that happen to fall into the powder.


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## RobR (Dec 24, 2011)

JPccusa said:


> I use a dry moat - the cultures lay on Diatomaceous Earth. It not only prevents mites, it also kills flying gnats that happen to fall into the powder.


How long does that last for you?


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Indefinitely.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I posted a thread on DE and the respondents seemed uncertain of the long term safety of the stuff. Good to hear you've had success.


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

If you are referring to this thread, the only thing you need to be careful about is to not drop DE into your frogs or animals being cultured. You would still need to be careful spraying mite-spray or using soapy water around them.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Indeed. 

One thing about DE is that it is a potential lung irritant and known carcinogen-if one is exposed to large amounts. While the form in food grade DE is safer than crystaline SiO2 implicated in silicosis, caution still seems appropriate.


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

To clarify, "Pool-grade" diatomaceous earth has been chemically processed and is carcinogenic, but the food-grade version (which is what I use) is certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and is considered safe by the FDA for use indoors and out. Regardless, I would not want to ingest/inhale large quantities of it.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I've never worked with the stuff-is it really dusty or fairly easy to deal with? I wonder if you could spray some sort of adhesive and then coat it with DE to make a "mite board" or "mite DE sandpaper"


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I've never worked with the stuff-is it really dusty like, say, bentonite clay or fairly easy to deal with? I wonder if you could spray some sort of adhesive and then coat it with DE to make a "mite board" or "mite DE sandpaper"


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Its texture resembles chalk powder. Very easy to deal with and not easily airborne. It does feel really drying on the skin.


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