HUMIDITY ATTRACTS MITES?
New
post on Humidity and Mites. I may jump around a bit but this info will
help you understand mites what their needs and limits are.
I have discussed water and the need for it to have a thriving colony. The only problem much of what we read and hear is that you have to keep the humidity of your colony down to prevent attracting mites. The key word is attracting...if you have high humidity that will not cause an army of little mites to come marching into your bugs world....can't happen!
The information I am providing here comes from some of the literature that I dug up when writing the Dermestid Beetles book at the same time I am going to try to
In a lot of online communities there is a great big wad of information that is passed around as being fact but much of it isn’t entirely true to totally bogus. It is time to add some real information to the mix.
I have written a couple of sheets on watering read those to see what happens if your colony doesn’t get enough water. Even if you are feeding relatively moist food it might not be enough so use the paper towel over the bones spritzed. If no one shows up you are ok..if they do show up even in modest numbers some of the bugs are not getting enough to be satisfied…if those are adults then make sure they get more water.
Make sure that you do not spritz the bedding as it needs to stay as dry as possible.
This is a personal opinion but I don’t think that you should do much in the frass as it disturbs the derrmestids and can uncover pupating insects subjecting them to being consumed. However you do need to occasionally check to see if the bottom is getting hard and compacted. This is a sign that the frass is retaining moisture in that area which will create more odor and the potential of an unhealthy raise in humidity.
Have you ever seen this? “ Mites love high humidity and dermestids like it dryer” …This statement is not entirely right. Mites do require higher humidity to survive and flourish but Dermestids like the same type of environment. In the wild both species will live side by side on the same carcass. Dermestids however, can withstand a much lower humidity due to their hard shell which keeps the loss of water down.
Next Item on the agenda is
Here are the facts - Mites have the need for humidity above 50% to thrive…I will not say that all age groups need this high of humidity to survive. There is one stage of Lardoglyphus zacheri nymphs that can survive in low humidity for an extended period of time…. this form of nymph is extremely small and almost impossible to see without a microscope. They only occur when the mite population is stressed and has the need to find better food and or living situation due to over crowding and excessive waste build up.
These small creatures need transportation because of their size, and delicate structure. This is where the dermestids come in…over time mites have developed a relationship with our beetles because they need the same foods and basically the same environment to survive. When food starts running out adult derrmestids start leaving a carcass the adult mites attach themselves to the dermestids anterior area under the wings……. from there they will be transferred to a new home as the beetles migrate out. As far as I know and nothing I have read implies this transport is done only by dermestids. Some have stated flies may carry mites too but the timing between dermestids and flies using a carcass doesn't work. By the time dermestids finds a new place to move into flies are long gone.
Do you know anything about how mites travel? They use dermestids because they are unable to travel very far as they are too small and delicate to crawl anywhere …So, how do they get into a colony? There are a couple of ways that these pests arrive and most of the time we, the colony owner are responsible.
So how do mites get into a colony? They cannot walk in on their own. We bring items that are infested into the area that the colonies are kept. Those skulls or carcasses or other high protein foods can have infestation of either mites, dermestids or both. What can happen then is not a good thing.
One dermestid beetle carrying three or four mites can wreck a colony in just a month or two and you just brought in wild derrmestids and mites into where they can infest the entire environment. If you have work spaces that have potential food you can have mites everywhere if the humidity allows. Essentially they will colonize an area and as the population grows they can expand and be present on surfaces and areas where they feed. As items and skulls are moved and transported the mites will go too.
If you have placed your colony in an environment that is not bug proof..then wild derrmestids can find your colony just by following the smell of meat and decomp. You then pick up that bug and stick him into the colony thinking it was an escapee…you just infested your colony.
Or that wild dermestid just wanders around looking for a way into you bug house and about this time that little mite crawls off and goes into your colony, now you have mites.
If you work with raw skulls, at some time you will come in contact with mites, they can get on your skin or clothing. After that, you go and place something in your colony or perhaps near it. These mites are so small and hard to see or feel, you will have no inkling you are transporting mites so you just Infested your colony.
I have also read statements by people saying that food or water attracts mites…….Does this sound right to you? Where are they coming from? Outside? The carcass half a mile away? Maybe the dead mouse under your porch? Not likely.
Those little guys can maneuver very short distances but there is no way that they are capable of going any real distance on their own and they do not just appear outside the door and walk in unless they are piggy backing on a dermestid or on you.
Prevention is the name of the game when dealing with humidity and potential mite infestation. because curing a colony of mites is close to impossible unless you use things such as the mite away strips but these miticides are nasty, and if your colony is in a full-blown infestation your bugs will have been weakened and the cure can quite possibility kill the colony.
You can help your self by keeping humidity under 50 % and being very careful about potential contamination by working with skulls in close proximity to your colonies.
Holding back water to keep humidity down is not a good practice, it is better to increase ventilation. High humidity is not a problem for the dermestids but if you are not super careful with your procedures it can set you up for a mite infestation.
Freezing everything that goes into your colony is absolutely a must. Three days minimum and the temps should be below 0 degrees to be sufficient to kill all pests.
Here is a prevention tip for taking care of your colony, always keep the substrate dry; keep the paper towels and specimens wet and never go from working with the raw product then go to the dermestid colony. If you do you may just be infest it with mites. The last tip is keep your work place cleaned and washed down to kill any unwanted pests and it will also keep down the bacteria.
A really smart protocol is to never go near your bug area if you have had close contact with any raw item until after you have washed you hands and changed your clothing.
I have discussed water and the need for it to have a thriving colony. The only problem much of what we read and hear is that you have to keep the humidity of your colony down to prevent attracting mites. The key word is attracting...if you have high humidity that will not cause an army of little mites to come marching into your bugs world....can't happen!
The information I am providing here comes from some of the literature that I dug up when writing the Dermestid Beetles book at the same time I am going to try to
debunk some common "facts".
In a lot of online communities there is a great big wad of information that is passed around as being fact but much of it isn’t entirely true to totally bogus. It is time to add some real information to the mix.
I have written a couple of sheets on watering read those to see what happens if your colony doesn’t get enough water. Even if you are feeding relatively moist food it might not be enough so use the paper towel over the bones spritzed. If no one shows up you are ok..if they do show up even in modest numbers some of the bugs are not getting enough to be satisfied…if those are adults then make sure they get more water.
Make sure that you do not spritz the bedding as it needs to stay as dry as possible.
This is a personal opinion but I don’t think that you should do much in the frass as it disturbs the derrmestids and can uncover pupating insects subjecting them to being consumed. However you do need to occasionally check to see if the bottom is getting hard and compacted. This is a sign that the frass is retaining moisture in that area which will create more odor and the potential of an unhealthy raise in humidity.
Have you ever seen this? “ Mites love high humidity and dermestids like it dryer” …This statement is not entirely right. Mites do require higher humidity to survive and flourish but Dermestids like the same type of environment. In the wild both species will live side by side on the same carcass. Dermestids however, can withstand a much lower humidity due to their hard shell which keeps the loss of water down.
Next Item on the agenda is
"high humidity in the colony will attract mites, OH REALLY?".
Here are the facts - Mites have the need for humidity above 50% to thrive…I will not say that all age groups need this high of humidity to survive. There is one stage of Lardoglyphus zacheri nymphs that can survive in low humidity for an extended period of time…. this form of nymph is extremely small and almost impossible to see without a microscope. They only occur when the mite population is stressed and has the need to find better food and or living situation due to over crowding and excessive waste build up.
These small creatures need transportation because of their size, and delicate structure. This is where the dermestids come in…over time mites have developed a relationship with our beetles because they need the same foods and basically the same environment to survive. When food starts running out adult derrmestids start leaving a carcass the adult mites attach themselves to the dermestids anterior area under the wings……. from there they will be transferred to a new home as the beetles migrate out. As far as I know and nothing I have read implies this transport is done only by dermestids. Some have stated flies may carry mites too but the timing between dermestids and flies using a carcass doesn't work. By the time dermestids finds a new place to move into flies are long gone.
Do you know anything about how mites travel? They use dermestids because they are unable to travel very far as they are too small and delicate to crawl anywhere …So, how do they get into a colony? There are a couple of ways that these pests arrive and most of the time we, the colony owner are responsible.
So how do mites get into a colony? They cannot walk in on their own. We bring items that are infested into the area that the colonies are kept. Those skulls or carcasses or other high protein foods can have infestation of either mites, dermestids or both. What can happen then is not a good thing.
One dermestid beetle carrying three or four mites can wreck a colony in just a month or two and you just brought in wild derrmestids and mites into where they can infest the entire environment. If you have work spaces that have potential food you can have mites everywhere if the humidity allows. Essentially they will colonize an area and as the population grows they can expand and be present on surfaces and areas where they feed. As items and skulls are moved and transported the mites will go too.
If you have placed your colony in an environment that is not bug proof..then wild derrmestids can find your colony just by following the smell of meat and decomp. You then pick up that bug and stick him into the colony thinking it was an escapee…you just infested your colony.
Or that wild dermestid just wanders around looking for a way into you bug house and about this time that little mite crawls off and goes into your colony, now you have mites.
If you work with raw skulls, at some time you will come in contact with mites, they can get on your skin or clothing. After that, you go and place something in your colony or perhaps near it. These mites are so small and hard to see or feel, you will have no inkling you are transporting mites so you just Infested your colony.
Humidity inside a colony will NOT attract mites…unless they are already there.
I have also read statements by people saying that food or water attracts mites…….Does this sound right to you? Where are they coming from? Outside? The carcass half a mile away? Maybe the dead mouse under your porch? Not likely.
Those little guys can maneuver very short distances but there is no way that they are capable of going any real distance on their own and they do not just appear outside the door and walk in unless they are piggy backing on a dermestid or on you.
Prevention is the name of the game when dealing with humidity and potential mite infestation. because curing a colony of mites is close to impossible unless you use things such as the mite away strips but these miticides are nasty, and if your colony is in a full-blown infestation your bugs will have been weakened and the cure can quite possibility kill the colony.
You can help your self by keeping humidity under 50 % and being very careful about potential contamination by working with skulls in close proximity to your colonies.
Holding back water to keep humidity down is not a good practice, it is better to increase ventilation. High humidity is not a problem for the dermestids but if you are not super careful with your procedures it can set you up for a mite infestation.
Freezing everything that goes into your colony is absolutely a must. Three days minimum and the temps should be below 0 degrees to be sufficient to kill all pests.
Here is a prevention tip for taking care of your colony, always keep the substrate dry; keep the paper towels and specimens wet and never go from working with the raw product then go to the dermestid colony. If you do you may just be infest it with mites. The last tip is keep your work place cleaned and washed down to kill any unwanted pests and it will also keep down the bacteria.
A really smart protocol is to never go near your bug area if you have had close contact with any raw item until after you have washed you hands and changed your clothing.
