Wood lice to clean mites ?????????

[Tom Newman]

Right i have been reading that Armadillidium vulgare (the common woodlouse) is a great mite control beastie that could aid me in the great mite jedi purge in my lividium tan any ideas people ????

[James Box]

it's true! if you do a search through the forum, you'll find other references to the use of woodlice as tank cleaners

[Tom Newman]

Cheers james is ure baboon baby ok now ? (im off 2 hunt lice !!!!!)

[James Box]

thanks for asking mate
he/she has largely recovered, though i'm going to continue hand watering it for a few more days. at least i know what to do now if i see a wobbly-legged spider that wants to death-curl!!
i found about 5 or 6 woodlice in my garden, and thery quickly multiplied!

great little things. did wonders for the millipede tanks

[Tom Newman]

good 2 here mate i love a new sling but its always a risk . did u have the whte mite problem in there 2 ?? is that damn coconut fibre should have nuked it 1st but oh well i shall resort to nature 1s againlol

[Phil Rea]

I know several people who use common woodlice in their spider tanks very effectively. I use the tropical ones (Trichorhina tomentosa) with some of my burrowers, cultured from an original stock that were kindly given to me a while ago, and they certainly help keep the enclosures clean.

Just make sure you collect them from a guaranteed pesticide free area.

[James Box]

i've not had any mite problems yet, just the occasional over-abundance of "helper" mites that milli's get on occasion.
the spiders seem ok, but then i tend to keep them on vermiculite and get the food remains out when i can.
i have some on compost or soil now, though, so keeping an eye out!

[Tom Newman]

i know there not a major problem bur she's buried th old crickets and she's so foul tempered i cant really start diggin about and so here's hoping the mites will eat the decay the lice eat the mites and the T has the odd big louse ooh its like having a mini rainforest!!!!! lol

[Peter Lacey]

These seem a great addition to the viv/ter. However, as they require moist conditions they don't seem appropriate for dry conditions. Is there an equivalent clean-up insect for dry conditions that I could put into my G. Rosea and L. Klugi enclosures?
I might consider them for my CWD as I've just built a water pool for him.

PS: Its not suggested that they will clear mites, just be in competition with them:

http://www.exotic-pets.eu/trichorhina-tomentosa.php

[Tom Newman]

These seem a great addition to the viv/ter. However, as they require moist conditions they don't seem appropriate for dry conditions. Is there an equivalent clean-up insect for dry conditions that I could put into my G. Rosea and L. Klugi enclosures?
I might consider them for my CWD as I've just built a water pool for him.

PS: Its not suggested that they will clear mites, just be in competition with them:
http://www.exotic-pets.eu/trichorhina-tomentosa.php

The mites im on about peter are the whte little sods which only thrive in moisture so as long as u keep on top ov crickets in ure rosea tank then u wont have a prob with any pests

[James Box]

the mites that are most common and can become problematic are the ones that feed on dead cricket matter, as far as i know.
the wood-lice eat the dead cricket matter and spider faeces, thus limiting the food the mice can eat, and thus limiting their numbers.
they don't hunt the mites directly, but limiting their numbers is the a very effective control method.
one can always try predatory mites to combat the mites directly though as well.

[Tom Newman]

the mites that are most common and can become problematic are the ones that feed on dead cricket matter, as far as i know.
the wood-lice eat the dead cricket matter and spider faeces, thus limiting the food the mice can eat, and thus limiting their numbers.
they don't hunt the mites directly, but limiting their numbers is the a very effective control method.
one can always try predatory mites to combat the mites directly though as well.

Spot on James lol again

[Peter Lacey]

thanks
I had a good read of Stan Schultz caresheet yesterday:

http://www.ucalgary.ca/%7Eschultz/mites07.html

So, last night I was torch in hand at 1am, The Great Escape music blaring out (only in my head ) searching for mites. The Klugi got the all clear, which is great coz its the larger of my 2 enclosures but I rarely find food remnants. However, after scouring the Rosea enclosure I finished at the water dish, and there they were, about 5 of them "achtung! achtung!". So I removed the water and replaced it. I may remove it completely for a couple of days if they return especially considering my latest misfortune with the house spider

[Jimmy Dale]

I use Trichorhina tomentosa in nearly all of my spider enclosures. Even in the drier boxes they tend to keep themselves in the moister areas and come out to feed on debris. I have definately noticed a marked decrease in the number of detritus feeding mites. These little guys in my opinion have been a real labout saver as they will happily eat up fungus aswell which prevents the need for regular substrate changes.

On the subject of mites - another trick if you wish to remove them from your T goes a little like this. Place your spider in an empty sealed plastic box and at one end place a small container (film canister etc) filled with wet cotton wool and drill small holes in it. The mites will quickly dessicate in the empty box and most of the time will move off the spider and into the film pot. after 24 hours (minimum) you can put the spider back in its (cleaned out) enlcosure and dispose of the film canister. Although your T will tollerate the dry conditions for longer than your mites be sure not to leave it in there for too long.

[James Box]

that sounds like a great tip, Jimmy! cheers