Grain mites prevention

[frabjousday]

Hi, Cham Fam!

I read a number of threads on here and wanted to summarize better upkeep of my feeders (namely, the superworms) because I am *fingers crossed* on the other side of an awful mite (most likely: grain mites) infestation when I got back home this past week after a few days away. I erroneously called these mites "springtails" (FYI: my original post here) - thank you to @MissSkittles for pointing out this error.

The issue was: There were THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS (little white bugs, nearly microscopic in size) crawling all over the black, rolling rack where I keep my cham's enclosure. Oddly enough, I have not found any inside his enclosure (again, fingers crossed). These mites were all over the containers, around the lid of the water reservoir, etc. etc. But they were "isolated" to this area.

My solution, thus far (I have only seen 1 a day now on the rack since Friday):

1. Tossed out nearly everything on the rack (exceptions: the actual enclosure, the bucket/water reservoir, a couple items where I didn't see them like open plastic containers)
2. Started by wiping down using vinegar, but moved to isopropyl alcohol as a wipe and I have been spraying with alcohol and wiping with wet towels every day since I found this issue (since Wednesday of this week)
3. I have bought new feeders, new feeder containers, and have kept newly bought superworms and wax worms in a small "skincare" fridge separate from the rolling rack and have put the new dubia's in a new container (I washed the new supplies with hot, soapy water and let dry completely, also)

What was the root cause? Perhaps the superworm container I kept that got super moist but remained without feeders for an extended period and/or a handful of them I saw at the bottom of the drainage tray a few months ago but just wiped away and moved on (I have a DS hybrid enclosure for my veiled chameleon).

Moving forward, I may implement the following tips from various threads I've read here (so, thank you, all!)

• Keep feeders separate from the rack in a darker, cooler area (obviously, the enclosure area tends to be warmer/more humid)
• Use bran or EcoEarth as substrate for the superworms
• Wipe down feeder containers I receive upon opening
• Clean out containers more regularly, especially keeping an eye on moisture - I kept all containers in a large Hefty bin with a lid that I drilled holes into and cut out a massive portion of it with a steel mesh screen. I guess this "double" container style might have contributed to the moisture.

Please let me know if you have had a similar experience or have further tips to prevent this in the future.

 

[absolutbill]

Welcome to the joys of keeping superworms. I hate to tell you this, but this is something that you will always deal with, unfortunately. I've found a few things that have worked for me in the past so maybe some will be useful.
1. Place papertowels under your superworm bin and spray them with mite spray (white spray bottle, you can get it at any of the big box pet stores). Moisten the papertowels with the spray then put the bins on there. Re-spray every few days. This SHOULD help to keep these mites from spreading.
2. When you experience an infestation, you can wash everything in hot water with some Dawn. Something I've learned the hard way is to use papertowels for the actual scrubbing and cleaning, then put those in a plastic bag and take them outside to the trash. If you toss them into your trashcan in the house the little buggers will just escape and completely cover the trashcan, making you want to rip your hair out.
3. If you've washed everything down, then make sure you are washing any surface the infected items came into contact with - kitchen counters, cutting boards, etc.
4. When you see that you are starting to get an infestation, put them into a new container and completely change the bedding. If you don't have very many just cut your losses and toss them all.
5. Make it a practice to run your hand over the outside of the superworm bin - you can feel them (then your brain will make you think you are itching for the next couple of hours).
6. In a pinch, and BEING VERY CAREFUL you can spray a bleach cleaner onto a papertowel (again you'll throw this out outside) and wipe down the OUTSIDE of the containers, making sure there is no over-spray getting into the containers and not doing this anywhere near sensitive chameleons.

Don't get discouraged, we all have to deal with this from time to time, though for me it seems like the winter months are the worst for it. I'm in FL, so not sure why that would be the case down here, but it just seems that way. Good luck!

 

[Andrew1283]

What about taking each superworm out of their pet store container/wood chips and putting them in new oatmeal?

 

[nightanole]

My solution that worked for me:

Live in filth, never clean after infestation


Remove all supers from bin using a siv.
Swap all media to bran. Grain mites can only live in grains, not bran.
Place supers back in bin.
Any moist food has to be swapped out daily.

It only takes two-three weeks to kill all mites. They only live two weeks, so you just have to keep a generation and a half from laying eggs.


Huge NO NO's
Covering the super bin
having a deep super bin

 

[elizaann2]

Ugh, I jst might not use supers anymore between that and the fact that they are just a treat anyways...

 

[MissSkittles]

My solution that worked for me:

Live in filth, never clean after infestation


Remove all supers from bin using a siv.
Swap all media to bran. Grain mites can only live in grains, not bran.
Place supers back in bin.
Any moist food has to be swapped out daily.

It only takes two-three weeks to kill all mites. They only live two weeks, so you just have to keep a generation and a half from laying eggs.


Huge NO NO's
Covering the super bin
having a deep super bin

Is living in filth an absolute requirement? That might be a deal breaker for many.
I’ve no idea what the tiny little s were that infested my superworms. They were almost microscopic and had to have come in with infested bran as I was well into breeding my own supers. I took my entire bran supply and baked it in a cool oven and then froze it. I saved as many baby supers as I could and put them in the ‘sanitized’ bran in a clean container. Breeding beetles got fresh bran and container too. What bran and baby supers were left were sacrificed to the backyard ant gods. Of course everything was washed in hot soapy water and the room was given a good cleaning. Only needed to do this once. Bran is now stored in the freezer, but I don’t breed supers anymore.

 

[elizaann2]

Is living in filth an absolute requirement? That might be a deal breaker for many.
I’ve no idea what the tiny little s were that infested my superworms. They were almost microscopic and had to have come in with infested bran as I was well into breeding my own supers. I took my entire bran supply and baked it in a cool oven and then froze it. I saved as many baby supers as I could and put them in the ‘sanitized’ bran in a clean container. Breeding beetles got fresh bran and container too. What bran and baby supers were left were sacrificed to the backyard ant gods. Of course everything was washed in hot soapy water and the room was given a good cleaning. Only needed to do this once. Bran is now stored in the freezer, but I don’t breed supers anymore.

Interesting, I am working on breeding a few of my bugs for my future chameleon breeding project. I was hoping for grasshoppers, crickets, super worms and I'm toying with the idea of breeding snails....but maybe I won't do the supers. Any suggestions on easy bugs to breed?

 

[MissSkittles]

Interesting, I am working on breeding a few of my bugs for my future chameleon breeding project. I was hoping for grasshoppers, crickets, super worms and I'm toying with the idea of breeding snails....but maybe I won't do the supers. Any suggestions on easy bugs to breed?

Mealworms are the easiest…just leave them and they’ll go thru their cycles and reproduce. Superworms are also pretty easy once you convince the worms to become beetles. I think this outlines my adventures in breeding my own feeders…or at least most of it…I think (too lazy to reread it all). https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/hornworm-adventure-aka-what-have-i-done.187201/

 

[elizaann2]

Mealworms are the easiest…just leave them and they’ll go thru their cycles and reproduce. Superworms are also pretty easy once you convince the worms to become beetles. I think this outlines my adventures in breeding my own feeders…or at least most of it…I think (too lazy to reread it all). https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/hornworm-adventure-aka-what-have-i-done.187201/

Awesome thank you!