predatory mites? there is ALOT of em'....

ok, was feeding the 3i emps, noticed a cricket leg lying on the substrate, COVERED in tiny, white, mites. I'm sure they are predatory mites as they move about, but... Hmmm. there are Tons of them, i've also noticed them in large numbers on scorpion poo.

I actually might keep a few, try to raise a colony, these little things could come in very hand Methinks, if they are indeed a predatory species.

Just give 'em stuff to scavenge on and they should be happy.

Then if you notice grain mites on any of your new arrivals, you can toss in a load of predatories to take care of 'em.

yeah! that's why i'm keeping them.


i've put 'em in a tub with damp substrate and it's nice and humid. i've tossed in the largest groups, and put in some crickets drumsticks.

I think i saw it once a town called eureka over here i think

wrong thread graham.


lmao

XD

They're extremely easy to umm... create?

Just setup a damp environment, place a dead cricket (or lettuce/whatever) in there, then wait for the magic to happen.

^ Maybe there's eggs in most soils, and under the right conditions . . . ?

Calum, just make sure you remove leftovers before they get too nasty (mainly for your own sense of smell than anything else).

i'm using an airtight container anyway, so no smell.

I found a bucketload of 'em again today, they seem to like cricket-drumstick.

If it's airtight, bad stuff could build up. Offer at least a little ventilation.

will do.

ok, I've got quite a collection of them now, collected from the scorpion tubs.


there are a few dead crickets in the tub, and "bad mites" have built colonies on them, the predatory mites are turing a redish colour which I belive to be from the diet of mites.


so the bad mites have made a colony in the good mite tub, dunno if this is bad or good. there are alot of bad mites.



any tips on making the predatory mites reproduce faster?

stop putting crickets in for a while and the predatorys should take over when the bad guys have no food...

well, they have plenty of food anyway.


there is a pile of locust nymph carcasses in the middle covered in mites, good and bad.


mabye i'll leave them for a month and see what happens.

I agree with removing some of the bad mites' food, but not a whole lot of removal -- try bumping up the temps a bit.

it's placed against a heatmat, it's pretty warm.

shouldn't it be in the "other arachnids" section?


this doesn't really have anything to do with scorpions.

no he is breeding them seperately!

yes, that would be it.

im right!

Off to "other arachnids" it goes!

It never even occurred to me . . .