Another mite post! Slightly different.

M

muddymire

Pupa
I noticed today I have small, very small white mites all over my substrate… They aren't the mites you need a toothbursh to get off beetles or larvae. They seem to like the damp white wood and also enjoy the beetle jelly.

They look like this

http://tinypic.com/r/wbb72d/8

My question is this, do these mites hurt beetles at any stage? Eggs, larvae, or adult? I know I can buy predatory mites, but if they are just cleaning up I'd rather not rid them from the substrate. They are about 1/2mm in size or less.

 
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i always have these..i dont think they hurt the beetles or larva, but i just kill them since i'm not the person to keep mites around lol

 
Mites go through different stages and both the mites that you find moving around on their own and the mites found on larvae can be the same species.

Adult grain mites move around to find food and reproduce and the juveniles attach to invertebrates and hitch a ride.

The mobile mites are the ones that can swarm onto eggs and cause damage and they'll lay eggs that hatch into the ones that attach onto larvae and adults.

 
I've never seen them attached to an egg, I have seem them in plethora around a bad egg that has gone south. When they turn yellowish, to brown you know eggs are bad right?

I think I'm going to get some predatory mites.

 
Some mites have chewing mouthparts and many are opportunistic feeders.

If there are enough of them and they get hungry, they may nibble at the shell of a healthy egg and damage the egg enough for it to get infected with bacteria and go bad. A decaying egg will then attract more mites as those are usually more attractive as food for scavenging mites.

The more mites you see, the greater the potential for problems with your eggs and larvae.

 
Thanks! As much as I hate you solidifying my worst nightmares. How do things live in the natural world, it's amazing!

One last question if I can, so they will burrow well below the surface? They're in my laying tanks, and now I'm scared.

 
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Yes, mites can find their way deep in the substrate if it's loose enough.

Compacted substrate is more difficult for them to move through.

 
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