I have 3 colonies of beetles and all of them just started showing mites. One person says to lower the humidity and they will disapear with time and another person says to destroy all of them because theres nothing you can do. I have two other colinies started and theres no mites on them so far. Any help would be greatly apreceated.
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Burn the infected colony before the mites spread. A lower humidity will help reduce bacterial infections - but not mites. They can live in a wider humidity range than the deremestids themselves.
If it were your only colony I would suggest a very strict quarantine wherein you extract adults and large larvae one at a time - make SURE they are free from parasites then place in a new container - no more than 10 or so per container... leave for 2 weeks and if no mites are present then place them in ANOTHER new container with other beetles that are certified clean. Throughout this process change your bedding material every other day and dispose of it - putting brand new material in. It's very labour intensive and you have to be on your guard lest you get mites in your quarantine areas.
The fact that you have two other colonies though makes it easier for you to just scrap that infected one before it spreads. You can probably rebuild it faster with stock from your other 2 colonies than you can with quarantined stock.
There are mite powders available that I have heard will work on beetles - they are sometimes used to treat reptiles that are infested. They are available from veterinarians only from what I have heard. I've yet to try this method as the quarantine one works as long as you are diligent.
Hope that helps =)
the words: beetles mites
There is some medications that beekeeper use to control several tyoes of mite. I dont have my bee keeping book handy, but the medications are available from bee keeping supply houses.
Ok for those that don't know, Bee's honey bees, have a varity of mites, some so small they can kill honey bees by infecting the TRACHIA(sp) trachial mites. These mites and a few other species of mites are so small it takes a microscope to see them. The same mites can be carried on other larve and adult insects.
You can save your colony by application of these products to kill the mites but it will not kill the larger larva or adults.
It is also a very safe product as many bee keeper do use it during the season when caring for thier hives.
Is the product you are talking about methol packs? How do you aply it? Please help!