Yes mites will easily be drowned, however the snake's head will not be held under water long enough to kill all of the adult mites. Further, this does not kill the eggs and larvae in the enclosure. The soap and water method is excellent at keeping mite numbers to the very minimal, but as you have observed, it does not completely eradicate the problem unless there is a secondary measure used.

As stated, the mice are not a likely vector of the mites; unless of course you are buying them from a smaller producer that breeds them in the same facility as their personal reptile collection (that also has a mite problem).

Permethrins are from the chysamthemum flower (Don't spell check me, I always mess up these ones).
Permethroids are similiar chemicals produced by man.

If your vet recommended the dog/cat spray and showed you what concentrations they want and how to use it, then I'd feel comfortable with you continuing. It is described in the Mader text, albeit not backed by a lot of imperical evidence as these were fairly new products at the time of writing. (to the best of my knowledge; perhaps they're just new to the snake mite scene?)

When in doubt, I see no problem relying on simple products like Provent A Mite. It's not that expensive, has directions on the bottle, and has been used effectively by a large amount of people.

Ian

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