RomanBuck Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 OK so I have mealworms that are getting infested with these grain mites and I see them in the dubia colony and I want to know if anyone has delt with them before. I have heard of horror stories about them destroying a whole colony and I can't afford to start over. So if you guys have any tips on how to get rid of these things, please reply. Thanks allot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I would remove the roaches from their cage, if you have substrate in their cage throw out the substrate and replace it, and wash the container thoroughly. Wash all decor or replace it. If they show up again, repeat the process. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanBuck Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I'll have to see if I can get to Walmart or something to get a new bin. Does this mean I gotta throw out the egg crates and the bin? Also what about the mealworms I have thousands and I cant lose years of work for nothing. Also thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 You can keep the bin, just wash it. You will have to replace the egg cartons though. As for the mealworms, I do not know. Grain mites will gladly eat and breed in a substrate that is purely food, you will have to remove the mealworms from the substrate, throw the old substrate out, replace it, wash the cage, etc. Only thing is you have thousands, and you will have to remove them without any of the old substrate on them. You will have to pick them out one by one. Once they are in the new substrate, keep the cage dry, moisture can cause mold and another mite explosion. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blattodea313 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 A strainer could work if the holes were big enough. Depends on how big the substrate is though (for the mealworms not the roaches). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Wow! A strainer would be much easier. Great idea blattodea313! I will keep this in mind for the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanBuck Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 I know about the strainer trick, but should I wait until they eat all of it? I think I had the outbreak because of the dog food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpython Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I would remove the roaches from their cage, if you have substrate in their cage throw out the substrate and replace it, and wash the container thoroughly. Wash all decor or replace it. If they show up again, repeat the process. Hope this helps! Do this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 No do not wait it will only get worse. Just replace it, next time maybe not as much dog food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanBuck Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 I don't feed dog food any more, only veggies, chicken mash and commercial bearded dragon food. Also can any one answer a question for me, my Turkistan roaches have not bred AT ALL I've had the original 300-500 since October. They havent even laid an egg case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I don't feed dog food any more, only veggies, chicken mash and commercial bearded dragon food. Also can any one answer a question for me, my Turkistan roaches have not bred AT ALL I've had the original 300-500 since October. They havent even laid an egg case! Temps please and ambient humidity please! Hell throw a pic of the tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanBuck Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Temps please and ambient humidity please! Hell throw a pic of the tub. well I would do a picture but I already cleaned everything and from what I can see I got rid of them. The inside temps usually are around 75-80°F. Humidity is down a bit since its still middle of winter (spring come BACK!) Also I am going to post a pic of some cool looking roaches I found when separating them today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Lesser mealworms are great for preventing mites in roach bins. They eat the mite eggs and the dead roaches too. Great cleanup crew for most feeder roaches. But keep them away from any egg laying feeder insects like crickets. Don't worry about eggcases though. They're too large to be eaten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanBuck Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Are the lesser mealworms the common ones that you find at the pet store? I wouldn't mind getting a new species if I have to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Lesser mealworms(Alphitobius diaperinus) are smaller and fuzzy. You might be able to find them at pet stores in the cricket bins. Sometimes they are shipped with the crickets. Not exactly sure why though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windward Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Lesser mealworms(Alphitobius diaperinus) are smaller and fuzzy. I'm not sure what you are considering to be "fuzzy"? Tenebrionids, while having a few setae, pretty much all look like mealworms (variation in color, size, and mouth of course). You may be confusing them with other commonly used cleaners, the dermestids. These have very fuzzy larvae and the adults usually have some small "scales" covering their bodies. Dermestids vary greatly in size and can range from useful cleaners, the frequently used museum bone striping species Dermestes maculatus (hide beetle), and to numerous pests species.As for why they end up in cricket shipments - they're hitchhikers. No one wants to spend time picking them out. I once got an order of crickets and spiders... the latter was likely along for the same reason. Grain mites, by the way, can come in on any number of grain based products. Always carefully check anything that comes in for mites or signs of pest damage. This includes human foods like cereals and flours. These can also become infested later on, so it's a good idea to either put food like this (an roach food) in a airtight container or in the freezer for longer storage. Once the insect bins have been clean it would be a good idea to either move them to another room for a bit or perform a very thorough cleaning on the area where the bins were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomanBuck Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 As for the worms I have no idea where to get them other than online and if I asked my mom she would think I was adding to my collection and wouldn't see how important all of my animals are and would say no (we live in a duplex and have limited space until summer comes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windward Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Insects are perfect for limited space. Honestly with that species, there wouldn't be much room taken up even if you housed them in another containers. For a few hundred, even a plastic shoe box with the top cut and screen glued in is more than enough room. You may try one more angle if you are determined: cleaner insects clean. In other words, they can help keep a bin from getting smelly. Smelly bin can be rather unpleasant in small rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tongue Flicker Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I also use a double layered fish net bag to strain off all the dirt, dust and other unwanted stuff from my mealies and superworms. Works all the time and quickly too. Then again my feeders are inside a jar so straining with a fish net bag is easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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