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Source of Wood Mites?

captainjack0000

captainjack0000

Student
We had an outbreak of woodmites back in late March. So we cleaned each tank, scrubbed, bleached, and baked what we could, and thought we had nixed the little bugs. But alas, no, they came back late June, but only on our BP's tank. So of course, the day I noticed them, I did a complete tank clean.

Again today I found an outbreak, crawling all over her piece of slate and on the underside of her water dish. The corns each had literally only 1 or 2 under their water dishes, but not like the BP had.

We first thought they were coming in on live food, so totally stopped that, weeks ago. But now this? We're cleaning the BP tank as I write this, and hoping the 1 or 2 found in the corns isn't enough to create a population bomb.

Where the heck do they come from?
I don't think it is the bedding because they'll show up well after new bedding.
I'm sure it isn't live food as we haven't used those since the end of June.

Could it just be because we live in Florida and they get into the apartment?
I never, ever! had wood mites during the years I kept snakes in Indiana.

Gah, I hate the little buggers...
 
Well, your cleaning treatment did work for a while, so it's probably not the cage itself.

I'd suspect they either come from the apt or with the bedding. Is the bedding in bug-proof containers and you're sure the containers are 100% bug free? You could make a trap from sticky tape around the cage bottom and cage openings, to see if there's any buggers trying to sneak in.
 
Not at the Moment

I could try and take pictures, but these things are so tiny I doubt it would look more than a spec in the picture. Seriously, you could fit several on a grain a rice. I have the Zilla sliding top tanks, and they could probably fit through the holes in those screens they're so small. Plus, I kill them when I see them. I'll try and get a picture tonight, but I'm hoping I can't find any!

They're white or clearish, like a termite, and seem to prefer the underside of water dishes. That is where I first see them, but I also have pieces of slate and they've been found under there too, sometimes on top. The BPs tank had a population explosion and I saw several on the top part of the slate, and some even on the inside of her warm side hide. After I pick up the slate I have looked to see if I can find any in the wood proper and I never see them there. They really like smooth, flat, surfaces it seems.

I never see them on the animals directly. Lord knows I've looked around the heat pits on the BP, vents of the snakes, by their eyes, anywhere I think something could hide. They don't look like snake mites, and I've see actual snake mites in person. Those were small, round, and red andon the animal directly.
 
Oh ok, thanks. The reason I asked for pics was because When I was using Zoo Med's forest floor (cypress mulch) as a bedding I noticed tiny bugs in the enclosure that weren't mites. Someone told me they might be thrifts or springtails from what I remember. I have sinced changed the bedding to carefresh ultra.
 
These are not my photos, but they look like what I have. I thank whomever had access to a microscope. Of course, with the naked eye, I don't see the hairs. This person's description very closely matches mine.

http://www.redtailboa.net/forums/help-me/51597-what-types-mites-these.html

The folks on another forum mentioned that they could just come in on my wife and I after a hike in the Florida countryside, which is still pretty gross to think I'm the vector for these buggers.
 
I have sinced changed the bedding to carefresh ultra
Click to expand...

I bought some carefresh natural this afternoon and have it in one of the corns vivs. I'll be making a full switch over after the wood chips are used up in other enclosures. I have a partial bag left, so it won't last long.

As soon as I saw the carefresh brick, it reminded me of stuff I used back Indiana. That might explain the lack of wood mites in Indiana...I only used reptibark for a short period of time.

It honestly seems softer and less dirty than the bark stuff.
 
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