26 replies to this topic

[mete]

EDIT- I would also not trust "organic" garden seed. Some of these could be treated with organic stuff like the bacteria Bacillus thurigensis, which is an organic way of killing insects. It is used to kill mosquito larvae, for example, after floodings and infestations. If in doubt, contact the producer if their seed are treated, the people in the store won't know. These seed are fine for buttlerflies, because they will visit the flowers, and not eat the seed which you plant in the ground.

 

I have asked to the manufacturer that I plan to use it to feed ants in an ant farm and if they are treated with anything synthetic or organic that can kill insects. The reply was it can be given to the ants and it is organic. TBH, I was expecting an indirect answer something like it is not treated but they cannot guarantee if it is safe to use for this purpose, but the answer was quite direct.

[mbullock42086]

 

commercially reared mealworms and fruitflies are all 100% infested with grain mites.  

  these big companies cut costs, use corn meal based medium, and as a result big time mite issues.

Avoid anything with millet, that's the worst one of all.

I'm not sure about their mealworms, but Josh's frog does treat mites before seeding their fruit fly cultures, however the fruit fly media eventually may get a mite egg to survive. I always use boiling water on the media, but you can't mix it 100% all the time. 

 

josh takes care of all his animals well, he actually cares about them.. when you deal in frogs and reptiles, you GOTTA be able to tackle mite issues.

  the only real way to destroy the eggs is either baking or subzero freezing.  standard freezers that stop at zero will not kill the eggs.

  

[rptraut]

Hello mete;

 

Here's a strange source of mites I never expected.    I use moss quite a bit in my natural formicaria and I also use it as a covering for the soil of my bonsai trees.    I grow a special short "variety" on the paving stones of the front patio.    Last year I had a big problem with mites, I even wondered if they brought along a virus or something that killed some of my colonies.     This spring I collected some fresh moss to replace dried stuff and happened to notice mites in it before I put it in any formicarium.     A bird feeder hung above the patio area all winter and the mites had been living off the debris from the feeder.   Last year the mites seemed to infest a colony, cause sudden death losses, and then move en masse to another colony, (they could pass easily through the screens) and infect another colony.    Quarantine of an infected colony, well away from other colonies, was the only way to stop this.   

 

Predatory mites are probably the best option for mite control, but there might be some alternative predators to consider that I wrote about here   Some Alternative Means of Mite Control - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum (formiculture.com)

 

Predators are probably the best option for mite control, but there are other options.   A method of mite control that I found works well is to use decoy bait.   I found that my mites like the freeze-dried brine shrimp that I gave some of my ants to eat while I was away on vacation.   When I placed a small piece of it alongside the ant's food, I could see the mites actually going for the brine shrimp, climbing on it, burrowing into it and eventually laying eggs on it.    I started putting a piece of brine shrimp in every day when I fed the infected colonies and going back an hour later, removing them and the adhering mites, and put them in the freezer.    It worked very well to quickly reduce the mite pressure, and I could repeat the process any time I noticed mites returning.   Maybe you can find something your mites like and do something similar.   Dried fish might work.

RPT

 

 

[mete]

Hello mete;

 

Here's a strange source of mites I never expected.    I use moss quite a bit in my natural formicaria and I also use it as a covering for the soil of my bonsai trees.    I grow a special short "variety" on the paving stones of the front patio.    Last year I had a big problem with mites, I even wondered if they brought along a virus or something that killed some of my colonies.     This spring I collected some fresh moss to replace dried stuff and happened to notice mites in it before I put it in any formicarium.     A bird feeder hung above the patio area all winter and the mites had been living off the debris from the feeder.   Last year the mites seemed to infest a colony, cause sudden death losses, and then move en masse to another colony, (they could pass easily through the screens) and infect another colony.    Quarantine of an infected colony, well away from other colonies, was the only way to stop this.   

 

Predatory mites are probably the best option for mite control, but there might be some alternative predators to consider that I wrote about here   Some Alternative Means of Mite Control - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum (formiculture.com)

 

Predators are probably the best option for mite control, but there are other options.   A method of mite control that I found works well is to use decoy bait.   I found that my mites like the freeze-dried brine shrimp that I gave some of my ants to eat while I was away on vacation.   When I placed a small piece of it alongside the ant's food, I could see the mites actually going for the brine shrimp, climbing on it, burrowing into it and eventually laying eggs on it.    I started putting a piece of brine shrimp in every day when I fed the infected colonies and going back an hour later, removing them and the adhering mites, and put them in the freezer.    It worked very well to quickly reduce the mite pressure, and I could repeat the process any time I noticed mites returning.   Maybe you can find something your mites like and do something similar.   Dried fish might work.

RPT

 

Hello RPT

 

I don't have any mites (I guess/hope) at the moment. I just wondered how they primarily arrive to the outworld, so I can be more careful.

 

I read about the predatory mites, I also found they are sold somewhere locally here albeit a bit expensive. I also wonder what other predator can be used for this.

[rptraut]

Hello mete;

 

When it comes to mite prevention, being vigilant about everything you put into your formicaria is mandatory.     You are wise to take precautions before you have a problem.   Careful inspection with a magnifying glass of any suspect food or other materials will show adult mites, but mite eggs are difficult to see, and they can survive freezing temperatures.   Boiling them for three seconds will kill the eggs.   

 

In the link provided above I wrote about some of my observations regarding alternative predators that you might find more available in your neighborhood, for free.    I'd be interested to know how well they work for others; I'm still assessing the impact they're having on mites in my colonies and how well they coexist with ants. 

RPT 

Edited by rptraut, September 20 2024 - 11:32 AM.

[mbullock42086]

Hello mete;

 

Here's a strange source of mites I never expected.    I use moss quite a bit in my natural formicaria and I also use it as a covering for the soil of my bonsai trees.    I grow a special short "variety" on the paving stones of the front patio.    Last year I had a big problem with mites, I even wondered if they brought along a virus or something that killed some of my colonies.     This spring I collected some fresh moss to replace dried stuff and happened to notice mites in it before I put it in any formicarium.     A bird feeder hung above the patio area all winter and the mites had been living off the debris from the feeder.   Last year the mites seemed to infest a colony, cause sudden death losses, and then move en masse to another colony, (they could pass easily through the screens) and infect another colony.    Quarantine of an infected colony, well away from other colonies, was the only way to stop this.   

 

Predatory mites are probably the best option for mite control, but there might be some alternative predators to consider that I wrote about here   Some Alternative Means of Mite Control - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum (formiculture.com)

 

Predators are probably the best option for mite control, but there are other options.   A method of mite control that I found works well is to use decoy bait.   I found that my mites like the freeze-dried brine shrimp that I gave some of my ants to eat while I was away on vacation.   When I placed a small piece of it alongside the ant's food, I could see the mites actually going for the brine shrimp, climbing on it, burrowing into it and eventually laying eggs on it.    I started putting a piece of brine shrimp in every day when I fed the infected colonies and going back an hour later, removing them and the adhering mites, and put them in the freezer.    It worked very well to quickly reduce the mite pressure, and I could repeat the process any time I noticed mites returning.   Maybe you can find something your mites like and do something similar.   Dried fish might work.

RPT

predatory mites are not good for grain mite control, they are for eradicating spidermites.  when they run out of mites to eat, they attack any soft bodied insects they can find.  

 they will eat the free living mites, but the hypopus stage and eggs will be untouched.    your ants are carriers and will reinfest the colony every time.

  in addition to this, the mites may decide your callows and pupae and eggs are much better prey as they are tender and immobile and easy to pierce.

this might not work, but i know for a fact that rhinoceros beetle hobbyists use dry oak leaf mulch to remove grain mites from their rhino larvae as the mites block spiracles and suffocate them.

  placing the colony in this mulch might actually get the mites off of them.  not sure how well it works for ants but try dropping an infested worker into this and see if the mites depart.  it seems they loathe tannins and flee from them.

Edited by mbullock42086, September 20 2024 - 2:35 PM.

[ANTdrew]

All this mite talk is stressing me out! I can say from personal experience, though, that predatory mites are highly effective at eliminating grain mites. My colonies experienced no damage to brood, either. I documented the unfortunate experience here for posterity:
https://www.formicul...t/?fromsearch=1