Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I am placing an order for predatory mites because yet again I ran into a mite problem. I am just wondering if anyone has ever done this and if she if they could share there experiences on how well it worked for them. I am well aware of other chemical methods, some of which I have used in the past but I wanted to try this.

Thanks,
Devon

I havn't personally tried it, but back a few years ago a couple people who no longer post on the forums tried it with really good success. It just takes a few days more than chemicals

I would use ladybugs instead. many orchid growers use them, they work well, the best part is that they cant get out of cages as easily and you can let them free once theyve done their job, that is if ladybugs are in your location. ive used them for plants. also, seven dust work well around the perimeter of the room, just to get the escapes and entering ones. good luck, let us know if either works well.
heres some info, theres plenty.

http://www.greenhome.com/products/pest_control/biological_pest_control/100984/

If you are attempting a passive control, it is important to leave the mites, or lady bugs, or whatever in with the snake for a least 2-3 times the lifecycle of the snake mite. Assuming the mite you have is O. naccisus (spelling?) then the cycle is about 3 weeks. Since the predators probably won't eat the eggs, and maybe the larva then it would take at least 3 weeks for all the mites to become adults and be food. Since it should be assumed that some eggs will be laid prior to the adults being eaten, then anothe cycle should be controlled.... and again and again. The finality is that a predatory control is just that. A control and not a cure. Not that there is something wrong with that, but a balance will most likely be created (nature balances everything, doesn't it ). The snake will be happier with only minimal parasitic presence (at least on the outside) but there will always be a risk of transmitting the mites to another animal in the collection.

I want the mites to be able to spread, the goal is to not only treat that one cage but the entire room. Because normally if one cage has mites, I’m sure one has ventured into another cage. so I will release the predatory mites into all the cages , as well as into potted plants in the room. That way there will be several colonies of predatory mites hunting down the snake mites. When dealing with mites there is nothing like overkill.

What you need are 'Hypoaspis miles'; they will predate on the snake mites and snake mite eggs, and will die off when none are available to them. Hypoaspis are native to the USA so should be easy enough to obtain.

Regardless of how you decide to rid the snake of mites, soak the snake in a big plastic tub of water with just a drop of soap in it. This will quickly drown any mites, which deserve to die in such a manner...

Good luck,

Doug T

>>Hi, I am placing an order for predatory mites because yet again I ran into a mite problem. I am just wondering if anyone has ever done this and if she if they could share there experiences on how well it worked for them. I am well aware of other chemical methods, some of which I have used in the past but I wanted to try this.
>>
>>Thanks,
>> Devon

Way ahead of you there, that was my first move, a nice soak and a scrub down of his cage.