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Getting rid of dry tolerant mites?


Hisserdude

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So I have these mites, that do best in really dry containers. Other mites don't do well in drier containers, but these ones love dryness. They are in all my containers, but they are becoming increasingly abundant in my Polyphaga saussurei and aegyptiaca containers. The substrate is coconut fiber, sphagnum moss, and dead leaves. I rarely feed them dog food and fruits. I keep the substrate bone dry with a moist corner. Both containers are large round "Kritter keeper" type cages. How can I prevent mites from being in these containers? I am breeding a species of springtail that is capable of living in dry environments, but they are taking a while to reach enough numbers to start using as a clean up crew, so thats out of the question for now. Any tips or advice on how to deal with this problem would be appreciated!

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  • 2 years later...

I know it has been a long time since you posted this, but i do wonder: do you still have them? How did you manage these mites? 

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10 hours ago, stanislas said:

I know it has been a long time since you posted this, but i do wonder: do you still have them? How did you manage these mites? 

They were replaced by a different mite species, one that is also tolerant of a wide variety of conditions, yet these new mites aren't nearly as prolific or stressful to the roaches, and seem to mainly live in the moist areas of the cages. Some Psocids have also started breeding in my Polyphaga enclosures, they put more pressure on these new mites' numbers, and don't stress out roaches at all it seems. :)

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