help!!! found white bugs in crix container

[niki]

Ok this morning I went to feed everybody and all over the sides of my crix xontainer there was white stuff that looked like salt. I looked closer and the particles were moving. They look like mites or something. I just fed evveryone on Friday and these were not here. What are they and are my crix safe to feed? Somebody please reply quick. I am scared my cats may have gotten mites or something. They are everywhere. There are thousands all over the inside of this bin, and they are so small they can get out.

 

[lele]

Ok this morning I went to feed everybody and all over the sides of my crix xontainer there was white stuff that looked like salt. I looked closer and the particles were moving. They look like mites or something.

because they are. I understand your panic. I had an outbreak in a superworm container a couple summers ago and with all this heat I have been keeping a very close on on feeders. Mites thrive in a warm and moist environment. Unfortunately, you are probably going to have to toss your crix. You can clean your bin, dump food, clean/trash lids or whatever you use to to put your food on but they are probably on your crickets as well. You will also want to look and thoroughly clean all around the surrounding area. They are NOT from your cats. Some probably came with the crickets or some food in low numbers and then bloomed with the heat and humidity. They were there on Friday, just not so many so you did not see them. I did the same thing. I had the supers next to my frog tank and first saw them on the black rim of her tank and couldn't figure out how they got there and when I realized - ugh, what a mess.

Do you use substrate of any sort? Do you use any grain source in your food? I was using oatmeal as substrate for my supers - never again! Now I keep all dry gutload (I make my own) in the fridge year round and only put out enough for them to eat. I make sure there is plenty of ventilation and check for mites daily. I am a bug & spider person in a big way, but mites freak me out.

Bleach is about the only thing that will kill them but don't go nuts, a 10% solution will do (10 parts water to 1 part bleach), just be sure to clean the surrounding area, toss what you can, run a/c if you have it (after you clean them up) and keep an eye out until this weather breaks (I still keep an eye out!)

Hope this helps and I share you freak out!

 

[niki]

I cleaned everything out and put new food down and what not. My cricket order doesn't come for another week and a half, so I don't want to throw away my crix if possible. I will clean everything up again when I get my next order. It is so hard to get circkets around here and I don't think my cham and frogs will be able to wait a week and a half for their next feeding. Wow those mites sure do spread fast Anyways I am going on a cleaning spree with everything in the house. Can these mites live on any type of animal though? Just in case. Because I have hamsters, hermit crabs, budgie, fiancee, and froggies. I do use oatmeal for a substrate, I will be keeping a very close eye on this stuff. I heard these guys fourish in damp conditions. With the potatoes and carrots I feed them it is hard not to have a little bit of dampness. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWw

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Oatmeal substrate is probaby the main reason that you have the grain mites. I went through the same thing with wheat bran. If you continue to use a grain substrate then place the container in a tray of soapy water. At least his way, as the mites migrate out of the insect container, they will drown in the soapy water and not spreadout into everything else. A few cups of infested grain will produce what looks like millions of mites .

 

[niki]

thanks everyone for the helpful...............but scary advice (that they are mites). It is kinda funny that this has never happened before because I haven't changed anything eith my setup in about a year. But it is quite hot in my house lately. Lets hope I never see these nasty little buggies again

 

[Brad Ramsey]

It has been suggested, and I believe tried and proven to help, to keep ladybugs in an enclosure that has become mite infested.
On a different forum I read about people who do this with their millipedes and roaches.
Lady bugs are available for purchase through garden centers, their websites and some scientific supply houses.
I have not tried this...although I did have some mites in with my B.dubias earlier this year. They seem to have disappeared on their own.
At any rate, I don't believe grain mites are a danger to any animals...still don't want them around.

-Brad

 

[ian]

i was going to suggest the ladybugs as well. i worked at a gardenstore years ago in new england and we sold tons of them cause they are supposed to be voracious insectavours.

 

[lele]

OK, bug lady has to chime in here. Sorry folks, but those who have known me for a few years from other places in cyber space know that I am a bit picky when it comes to certain things and that includes non-native species of plants and animals/insects that cause harm to indigenous species. Before I go further I have to say this is not a rant and I am not looking to get any sort of crazy dialog/banter going. OK, that said...

The ladybugs/beetles (they are beetles) that are sold in garden centers are usually multicolored Asian lady beetle (MALB), Harmonia axyridis. For many of you in the north, you know them as the ones that invade your home as fall approaches, have a rather sickening smell when en masse and have actually been known to bite (yes, folks, the sweet little ladybug, no, I am not making this up). They are extremely disruptive to some native ladybug populations and have also been known to feed on early instar monarch butterfly caterpillars. Believe me, your occasional outbreaks of mites are not enough for them to stick around & they will never be able to complete their life cycle in your home. It is the larval stage that has the biggest appetite. More importantly they are toxic to chameleons – remember that whole black/red/orange rule?

Btw, ladybugs are generally sold to control aphids ans scale insects. Here is a link about MALB

lele (don't shoot the messenger )