# Mites



## Rick

I noticed I have small, white mites in my mantid cages. I think they probably came from the sticks I got outside to use in the cages. What is a good way to get rid of these? I was thinking to clean all cages really good and then put down some mite paper and set the cages on that. But is the mite paper safe for mantids? I use it for fruit flies now. Thanks.


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## Jesse

From my experience, the mites don't actually harm anything, they are just unsightly when they get out of control. They come from your home and the very small young can travel like dust through the air, but they could have very well come from outside too. The best way to keep them under control is to let the enclosures/substrate dry out for a bit.


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## Rick

I didn't think they were hurting anything and they are not bad at all. Just a few here and there. Thanks.


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## herpfan

might be different for mantid mites, but i know herptilian mites are only black or red. the wee white things are springtails and are 100% harmless

Kev :wink:


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## Rick

What I am seeing are very small, round and white.


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## Jesse

The mites found in mantid, roach, tarantula, etc. enclosures are usually either the dust mites which are whitish at all stages, or the slightly tan grain mites (which have young that are also white). Unless the mite population is out of control, they usually do not climb onto the mantis, roach, etc. However beetles and millipedes do have there own species of mites that stay on them.


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## FieroRumor

I bought a hissing coackroach once, and it was infested with mites. Quite disgusting! :shock: :wink:


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## Jesse

Hissing cockroaches also have mites that specifically associated with them, they are not supposed to be harmful to the roach, but they are unsightly! Most hisser cultures do not have these mites anymore.


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## MicroMantis

Why would a mite want to crawl on a mantis anyway. To get a free ride, food, humiliation?


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## FieroRumor

> Why would a mite want to crawl on a mantis anyway. To get a free ride, food, humiliation?


Humiliation

LOL

I just found small little things crawling in my enclosure, they look like mites or chiggers or something... not sure what they are exactly, but I WOULD like to get rid of 'em. I believe they came from the branches I put in the tank. I was going to make a post, but saw there already was one regarding mites.

I'm moving my little buddies to a new home tonight.


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## MicroMantis

How can we elimanate the evil mite invasion!

We need courage, hope, and mite.

I mean Might.

Hey, mites are good!


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## Chris Dickie

not sure about insect mites, think its different so this post is probably useless

With reptiles and other animals mites can deteriate the health of the animal

Ill finish later gtg now


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## MicroMantis

Hey, do mites eat the scraps of food left in the cage?

That could be the reason :!:


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## Chris Dickie

not sure MicroMantis

now back to what I was saying



> not sure about insect mites, think its different so this post is probably useless With reptiles and other animals mites can deteriate the health of the animal


Many reptile keepers keep a supply of mite killing spray etc which can be used to kill mites in cages, online shop usually have something like this available

Not sure how this would work with mantids but if you are having a problem with mites its probably best to get rid of them

As somebody said they might be springtails (can't remember the latin name at the moment), do a google search or something and see if your "mites" are really mites or if they are just springtails

If they are springtails then it is no problem and hatchling mantids can even be fed on them I believe


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## Jesse

Yes, the mites feed on decaying organic material such as mantis poop and insect parts.

I am not sure what the active ingredient to the spray Chris is talking about is, but most(but not all!) are harmful to other invertebrates such as mantids.

Springtails belong to the order Collembola, so they are often referred to as "collembolans". If you go to touch them and they hop away rather quickly, they are springtails.

There are literally thousands of species of mites. Reptiles are hosts to many parasitic species of mites. The mites found on invertebrates are usually phoretic or commensal, meaning they use the invertebrate to take them from one place to another, or live on the invertebrate and feed on secretions (without causing harm), or other materials that get on the invertebrate. 99.99% of the mites you find in the substrate of your invertebrates enclosure are scavengers and will only negatively affect your invertebrate if their numbers grow to outrageous proportions which means the conditions are very unsanitary and stressful for your pet anyway. Scavenger mites do best in stuffy moist and unsanitary conditions.


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