Mites! Help!

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fatalmantis

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So I had a few of my male L3 orchid mantids randomly die recently and I couldnt find the cause until I saw this guy in the picture. He was weak and his body just looked dull until I took a magnifying glass to it. To my horror this poor guy is infested with some kind of parasitic mite. After looking at my other nymphs I found five more with 1-3 mites and the others seemed clean. I gave them all clean containers, separated the ones with mites to a completely different room and threw out all the old containers, substrate, and decorations.

I have no clue where these guys came from and no idea how to get rid of them. I'm in desperate need of suggestions.
 

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spray the ever-loving cr@p out of surfaces with vinegar! this is usually sufficient to eliminate mites
also, mites love moisture. you do not want the mantis containers to be perpetually wet; instead, allow them to dry between mistings. Here, that means about 24h, but every week I skip a day of waterings for everyone except my i1 nymphs who have a harder time staying properly hydrated
 

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