Gross! I think I got mites!

[bitterbeauty]

Ive been attempting to breed mealworms and have had a hard time with it due to beetles not surviving. Well to add insult to injury today when I was switching the old potatoes out with new ones in the worm container I notices the potatoes had teeny tiny was look like mites on them. :main_no: Grosssss! I have been doing some research and I think they are grain mites. I suppose they came in with the bedding I bought. On the good news side however....I checked the beetle containers (I have two separate containers) and I have LIVE walking climbing beetles in there! I was excited. I have around 20 of them which is just in the nick of time since the mealworm shortage!

Anyone have advice on ridding the grain mites. (I dont want to throw away my mealies since there is a shortage!) Can I rinse them off with water after sifting them out of the bedding and throwing that bedding away?

Are mites harmful to my geckos or other reptiles?

THANKS!

 

[bitterbeauty]

On second thought...if they are called "grain" mites then why would they be on the potatoes? Hmmm...wonder what they are then?

I doubt I threw away baby mealies....o_0

 

[Bling_my_leo]

Mhmhmhmhmhm. No clue. Do you have a pic?

 

[bitterbeauty]

No I threw the potatoes away ASAP. lol

I just checked the new potatoes and there aren't any on them.

 

[gothra]

Yes, I would say they are grain mites. If your bedding gets a little too humid, you'll eventually get them. I had them once in my mealworm tubs, there were literally zillions of them, just like moving white powder, I threw away everything and started all over again, very annoying!

I now use smaller tubs with a dish of water below, so in case one gets infested again, it'll be contained in that particular tub.

 

[bitterbeauty]

Bonnie,
You said they look like "moving white powder" so how do you tell the difference between mealworm poop and grain mites since they are both similar?

 

[bitterbeauty]

Okay so here is what I did to try and get rid of these mites:

I took the container outside and took a large kitchen straining bowl and sifted the mealies out of the bedding over a plastic bag. Then I tied up the bag and threw it away. I then took a bowl of water and rinsed the mealies off with it to remove any mites that might have been on them. I think put them in a new container with new bedding. I hope the water didnt hurt them. They seem to be doing okay. Ill let you know if this worked. Thanks!

 

[gothra]

Bonnie,
You said they look like "moving white powder" so how do you tell the difference between mealworm poop and grain mites since they are both similar?

Well, whenever I put a piece of carrot in it, they crawl all over the carrot. At first, I thought those white powder were the crumbled oatmeal, but when I looked more closely, I can see them moving. These mites can climb on the vertical sides of the plastic tub as well. Unfortunately, I found out about their presence too late, they got out and were all over my shelf. I had a hard time cleaning everything to get rid of them.

That's why I always keep a dish of water beneath each tub now.

p.s. I don't see them against the oatmeal background, as they are tooooooo small and same color; but they are easily spoted when they climb on the sides of the tub.

 

[Gecko]

Not sure. Ihad a major infestation once. If I remember I think I read they are insect parasites basically. So in theory they shouldn't really go for reptiles at least. I had no real way of elimination. I bake mealworm grains now before feeding although I don't know if it really works. Not sure if my info is even valid.