Need Help...Mites!

Two of my Emperor Scorpions have mites. The mites are very small and white. I have observed them crawling through the substrate and on the scorpions themselves.

I want to know if these kinds of mites are harmful and if so how to get rid of them. I cannot find a supplier of the predatory mites in my area to feed on these small white mites.

Are there any other methods of ridding them?

Someone mentioned to me they might be wood mites and that they do not have a long lifespan and need moist substrate for egg production. Would removing the scorpions from the infected enclosure to a dry holding carrier with paper towel eliminate the problem in a few days?

Moving them might stress them out. I have heard of methods using iso-propylene 99% but I would try and research the method before just rubbing your scorpion with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol.

If they're moving, and on the substrate as well as the scorpion, they're nothing to worry about.

Bad mites congregate in HUGE numbers around a scorpion's joints and don't move.

yes.. these sound like good ones to me. no need to get rid of them, they are benificial to your scorpion by keeping the bad ones away.

I check them both, and the one appears to have very small off-white coloured mites on his prosoma, on the sides above his legs. Not a huge number of them but still, how could I deal with them?

If they're gathering specifically on the membranes between sections of exoskeleton and AREN'T running around, you can either introduce predator mites or move the scorpion to a "hospital tank" -- dry paper towels for substrate and a small water dish. The water should be enough for the scorpion to drink but not enough to raise humidity and favor the mites.

Post a pic, if you can, and we can confirm what sort of mites you have.

I will have to wait to get a pic up as my camera is not working. I have moved them to their dry tanks with the paper towel...I can't get the predator mites, so is there anything else I can do?

Check your more humid enclosures -- there's probably some running around on the substrate.

I'm kind of busy right now or I'd look up a picture of the bad mites. Try doing a search for "grain mites" and you should see what I'm talking about. Infestations don't happen very often in the hobby so until I see pics I'm thinking you might just have predatory mites.

from what I looked up the grain mites are red?

No, they're tiny and white and don't move around.

these are the bad ones..

I'll have to remember that, moving mites are good!!