Mealworm Colony Need Help ASAP

[Courtney Bailey]

I’ve had this particular colony for 3 years now; they have been serving their purpose well. This is the first year that i’ve had 100 + beetles and it appears that they mated maybe a month ago. This morning I open the box and the interior walls of the plastic container are covered with what I thought to be grain dust… and the counters and my mirror and pretty much everything in the bathroom. Upon closer inspection I realized the dust is moving. They appear to be extremely small, clear, something’s …

My question is is this dust grain mites (they pile up and look like piles of brown dust) or baby mealies. I ask because I’ve never had so many beetles at one time and I’m unsure if this is just an explosion of mealies or if I have mites in my colony.

Any help is much appreciated because I would rather not toss my colony.

 

[Khrysty]

Dust mites. You can't see the baby mealies at all..and when you can, you KNOW they're mealworms. Also, the baby mealies will live in the frass until they're old enough to climb up. I doubt that's what's all over your counter and mirrors

 

[Courtney Bailey]

Any good way to kills these things or should i toss the colony. Ive been told that the mites will die if i stick the mealies in the fridge or outside ... though outside for me is currently 75.

 

[Courtney Bailey]

Well to answer my own question, and to provide an answer to anyone else who needs advice about grain mites/ mealworm mites here ya go.

So your mealworms are infested with Grain Mites (Acarus sp.)? These appear as piles of what looks to be brownish dust, and upon closer inspection appear to be tiny white dots or clear bugs? I don’t yet know where they come from… infect feed/grain? Perhaps other bugs that are infected? … But I do know what attracts them is the high humidity (fresh food, water, wet papertowles, bananas in my case) in the mealworm containers. “At the high humidity these parasites flourish. And these guys are insanely prolific breeders (800 eggs per adult female) and have a life spawn of about 17 days. The eggs can withstand temperatures of 0 degrees for months and still hatch when brought to room temp. The adults feed on embryo seed which is the reason most mealworm growers usually use hulls. The larvae have a period where they can become dormant and resist most insecticides, heat, drought, starvation. They are kind of a super insect.” (1)

Apparently these guys are pretty common. And the only real way to be rid of them is to get rid of the food source, lower the humidity to near null, or to toss the colony. Yep I said it toss the colony. Bust trust me they are a huge pain to be rid of any other way. Even if you manage to “clean them out” these guys can come back. The eggs will simply lay dormant until the temps and humidity is back to what makes them happy.

Other advice I was given: “ The only way I have heard of removing them is tossing the entire culture and starting fresh....By 'hulls,' I mean wheat middlings. They are the byproduct of wheat flour processing and actually contain a surprising amount of nutrients. Most mealworm distributers will sell in bulk. I throw in a little cricket food and herp vitamins in my bedding. For moisture, I use carrots, potatoes, and apple slices. I would suggest cleaning your bins with a white vinegar wash followed by a rinse with hydrogen peroxide. Your standard grocery store varieties should work...." I want to note that the mites are not true parasites, and they are also not insects. They are arachnids. As a chemist, I can vouch that the store bought vinegar (acetic acid) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are the same thing as the ones at the lab except for the concentration. They will disinfect pretty well. Personally, I use bleach to clean out all my various animal containers, bowls, etc.” (1)

More advice: “How to keep them from showing up in the first place”
"In order to keep the substrate of my mealworm and beetle breeding colonies dry and so mite and mold free I place a piece of cardboard or folded brown paper on the top. I then place fresh non-citrous fruit and/or vegetables on top of the cardboard/paper, which are replaced daily or at most every other day so as to avoid the build up of dangerous pathogens - I've no idea if pathogens really are a problem, it's just some advice I was given. Beetles like to congregate underneath the paper/card whilst mealies like to nestle between the paper folds. I only use human-grade supermarket own-brand wheat bran and rolled oat flakes as a substrate as I've heard reports that the cheaper animal feeds often harbour the grain mite." (1)

“Of all the problems that you may face with your mealworm culture, grain mites are probably the most troublesome. Grain mites are about the size of a speck of flour, and will breed in practically any type of grain you put them in. They can survive being frozen, and go for months without food. You only have two defenses against grain mites. The first is to not get them in the first place, microwave your bedding before using it. This should kill any grain mites and their eggs. The second, and best option probably, is regulating the humidity. Grain mites need a level of humidity of 75% or higher to reproduce. Keeping your humidity level down to 55% and making sure there is some ventilation to where you are keeping your mealworms should prevent grain mites from hatching and reproducing. One other method is to keep your mealworm boxes on a pan of water to form a moat around the box. This only helps though if your grain is clean, and your starter worms are also. Your mealworm colony will have a distinctive smell, if that smell changes significantly to a kind of piny smell, you probably have grain mites. You will probably also notice a dusty substance forming on the air holes and the sides of your box. If this happens to your colony, destroy it and start over. Its disappointing to have to do but there is no good way to get rid of them. Dump out the worms, clean the box with bleach, let it thoroughly drive, and watch your humidity, grain, and mealworm sources better the next time.it is probably loaded with the mites so I intend to use it as my first line of defense." (2)

*1 source : http://www.fishpondinfo.com/worm.htm
*2 Source : http://mealwormstore.com/raising_mealworms.php

 

[acpart]

I have never had success purging a mealie colony of grain mites, but I have been able to get rid of them in a small cricket container. I moved the crickets to fresh grain and cleaned the cage with really hot water. I kept checking the enclosure cover and just re-washed if I saw grain mites.

Aliza

 

[scottjusa]

Well to answer my own question, and to provide an answer to anyone else who needs advice about grain mites/ mealworm mites here ya go.

So your mealworms are infested with Grain Mites (Acarus sp.)? These appear as piles of what looks to be brownish dust, and upon closer inspection appear to be tiny white dots or clear bugs? I don’t yet know where they come from… infect feed/grain? Perhaps other bugs that are infected? … But I do know what attracts them is the high humidity (fresh food, water, wet papertowles, bananas in my case) in the mealworm containers. “At the high humidity these parasites flourish. And these guys are insanely prolific breeders (800 eggs per adult female) and have a life spawn of about 17 days. The eggs can withstand temperatures of 0 degrees for months and still hatch when brought to room temp. The adults feed on embryo seed which is the reason most mealworm growers usually use hulls. The larvae have a period where they can become dormant and resist most insecticides, heat, drought, starvation. They are kind of a super insect.” (1)

Apparently these guys are pretty common. And the only real way to be rid of them is to get rid of the food source, lower the humidity to near null, or to toss the colony. Yep I said it toss the colony. Bust trust me they are a huge pain to be rid of any other way. Even if you manage to “clean them out” these guys can come back. The eggs will simply lay dormant until the temps and humidity is back to what makes them happy.

Other advice I was given: “ The only way I have heard of removing them is tossing the entire culture and starting fresh....By 'hulls,' I mean wheat middlings. They are the byproduct of wheat flour processing and actually contain a surprising amount of nutrients. Most mealworm distributers will sell in bulk. I throw in a little cricket food and herp vitamins in my bedding. For moisture, I use carrots, potatoes, and apple slices. I would suggest cleaning your bins with a white vinegar wash followed by a rinse with hydrogen peroxide. Your standard grocery store varieties should work...." I want to note that the mites are not true parasites, and they are also not insects. They are arachnids. As a chemist, I can vouch that the store bought vinegar (acetic acid) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are the same thing as the ones at the lab except for the concentration. They will disinfect pretty well. Personally, I use bleach to clean out all my various animal containers, bowls, etc.” (1)

More advice: “How to keep them from showing up in the first place”
"In order to keep the substrate of my mealworm and beetle breeding colonies dry and so mite and mold free I place a piece of cardboard or folded brown paper on the top. I then place fresh non-citrous fruit and/or vegetables on top of the cardboard/paper, which are replaced daily or at most every other day so as to avoid the build up of dangerous pathogens - I've no idea if pathogens really are a problem, it's just some advice I was given. Beetles like to congregate underneath the paper/card whilst mealies like to nestle between the paper folds. I only use human-grade supermarket own-brand wheat bran and rolled oat flakes as a substrate as I've heard reports that the cheaper animal feeds often harbour the grain mite." (1)

“Of all the problems that you may face with your mealworm culture, grain mites are probably the most troublesome. Grain mites are about the size of a speck of flour, and will breed in practically any type of grain you put them in. They can survive being frozen, and go for months without food. You only have two defenses against grain mites. The first is to not get them in the first place, microwave your bedding before using it. This should kill any grain mites and their eggs. The second, and best option probably, is regulating the humidity. Grain mites need a level of humidity of 75% or higher to reproduce. Keeping your humidity level down to 55% and making sure there is some ventilation to where you are keeping your mealworms should prevent grain mites from hatching and reproducing. One other method is to keep your mealworm boxes on a pan of water to form a moat around the box. This only helps though if your grain is clean, and your starter worms are also. Your mealworm colony will have a distinctive smell, if that smell changes significantly to a kind of piny smell, you probably have grain mites. You will probably also notice a dusty substance forming on the air holes and the sides of your box. If this happens to your colony, destroy it and start over. Its disappointing to have to do but there is no good way to get rid of them. Dump out the worms, clean the box with bleach, let it thoroughly drive, and watch your humidity, grain, and mealworm sources better the next time.it is probably loaded with the mites so I intend to use it as my first line of defense." (2)

*1 source : http://www.fishpondinfo.com/worm.htm
*2 Source : http://mealwormstore.com/raising_mealworms.php

Thanks for the info!

 

[serialzombie]

Grain mites, my old nemesis.

I use napalm.

Just saying.

 

[Courtney Bailey]

LOL! Both yours and mine.