Please Read! Totally flabbergasted!!

[Mitch21]

I really have no idea where this thread should go, so if a mod thinks there's a better location, by all means, toss this somewhere else...

I don't even know where to start... I bought this hog feed for my ASFs in May/June and started using it immediately. All of my feeder supplies, as well as all the ASFs are kept in my unfinished basement. Sometime in June, I noticed somewhat of a fine dust all over the 5gallon bucket lid that I emptied the hog feed bag into. I didn't pay any attention to it at all because I thought it was simply dust from the hog feed pellets after scooping a load into the ASF tubs.

I keep a jug of water down there (on top of the 5gallon bucket full of hog feed) so that I don't have to constantly have to run up and down the stairs when filling the ASF's water.

I've noticed the dust over everything around the hog feed bucket area and used a towel a few days ago to wipe all the dust off.

Well.... all the dust was back today so I looked closely at it.... And they're like microscopic bugs!!!!!!!!!! They are like the size of a pin head and barely move a quarter of an inch every minute. They seem to congregate in big groups which form the dust look.

They look like light tan little specks! I've always thought this was just dust before!

Does anyone have a clue what this is??? It must have come from inside the hog feed bag right??? The bucket that I emptied the feed into had a lid from the time that I put it all in there, but it isn't air tight... so these bugs could be from an external factor... But it just seems highly unlikely because our basement is very clean.

What is this crap!?

[Corvid]

Yikes!
I have noticed A LOT of dust since switching over to hog feed.
I immediately went to check it. Now I see absolutely ZERO movement, I believe mine is just (tan) dust.
I wonder if it could be some sort in insect/parasite that was either in the feed, your basement or (hope not) your ASFs that is now being seen because of being covered in the feed dust?
I don't know, but the hog feed is very dusty...

[Joe_Compel]

They could be mites......not snake mites though. Probably some kind of dust mite. They are common even in clean houses.
My guess is that a population of mites that would have gone unnoticed has exploded. Nice humidity, a great food source and boom....mite city. The "dust" is most likely a collection of living mites, dead mites, and exoskeletons....if they shed (I'm not sure about this but I guess they do).

Try keeping your feed in airtight containers with a good seal. There are some made for big dogs that I keep my turtle food in.
You could keep the feed in a chest freezer until you are ready to use it.
Or keep less on hand.....but that defeats the purpose of buying in bulk, right?

As far as killing the mites for good.....I don't think it will happen if it is in fact the buggers that I am thinking of. They are pretty common. You could keep them in check with insecticides but who wants to live in insecticide city?

Anyone that makes their own fruitfly cultures knows that they have to battle "the other kind of mite" from time to time. One day the cultures look clean and a few days later....oh no.

[Mitch21]

They seem relatively harmless. I haven't noticed any change in my ASFs since June. The ASFs actually started breeding better once I moved them to the basement in June.

Joe, I think you nailed this problem on the head. The basement is at a good 70% level of humidity. It's dark and they have all this food at their disposal. As far as the "mite" problem... What do you think I could do?


If I moved the hog feed into an air tight bucket, I'm sure a large portion of the mite colony would be moved with it... And I can't really fumigate my basement with pesticide...

Thoughts???

[nixer]

I really have no idea where this thread should go, so if a mod thinks there's a better location, by all means, toss this somewhere else...

I don't even know where to start... I bought this hog feed for my ASFs in May/June and started using it immediately. All of my feeder supplies, as well as all the ASFs are kept in my unfinished basement. Sometime in June, I noticed somewhat of a fine dust all over the 5gallon bucket lid that I emptied the hog feed bag into. I didn't pay any attention to it at all because I thought it was simply dust from the hog feed pellets after scooping a load into the ASF tubs.

I keep a jug of water down there (on top of the 5gallon bucket full of hog feed) so that I don't have to constantly have to run up and down the stairs when filling the ASF's water.

I've noticed the dust over everything around the hog feed bucket area and used a towel a few days ago to wipe all the dust off.

Well.... all the dust was back today so I looked closely at it.... And they're like microscopic bugs!!!!!!!!!! They are like the size of a pin head and barely move a quarter of an inch every minute. They seem to congregate in big groups which form the dust look.

They look like light tan little specks! I've always thought this was just dust before!

Does anyone have a clue what this is??? It must have come from inside the hog feed bag right??? The bucket that I emptied the feed into had a lid from the time that I put it all in there, but it isn't air tight... so these bugs could be from an external factor... But it just seems highly unlikely because our basement is very clean.

What is this crap!?

i have them also. they look like some type of mite. they are not reptile mites nor are they actually on my rats or mice. also i put one on my arm and left it there for awhile and they dont seem to bite me. they pretty much just like the hog food and harlan lab blocks

[Lupe]

Hmm the only thing I can think of to help, at least a little, is to get an air filter to get some of the mites out of the air. Just the thought of breathing those things into my lungs is blah xP

[MarkS]

Just had the same problem with my mealworms. Looks like a Grain mite population explosion. It's really gross because they're just everywhere.

Here's the thread, that link provided by Josh is a pretty good read particularly the section on grain mites.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=99796

About all you can do I guess is put the bag in a sub zero freezer for a few weeks or so, though I wonder if heating it up in an oven would work the same way? Maybe 160 degrees for half an hour or so? Probably just best to throw it out and buy some new stuff.

[littleindiangirl]

Yuck, does sound like grain mites.

You can purchase an auto fly-sprayer from TSC. It will spray permethrin (sp) every 15 minutes. Should kill every darn bug down there. Make sure you have a fan moving air though.


I have a picture somewhere... They are the little pearly bumps on the super worm. Yuck!

[Joe_Compel]

As far as the "mite" problem... What do you think I could do?


If I moved the hog feed into an air tight bucket, I'm sure a large portion of the mite colony would be moved with it... And I can't really fumigate my basement with pesticide...

Thoughts???

Start over with new food. If you are going to use an insecticide do so before bringing the new food in.

As far as the food you have now, use it or lose it....it's up to you. If you want to use it, I would freeze it first. The mites won this time just take steps to keep them at bay next time.

And you are right they are relatively harmless...with the exception of allergies. I'm not sure if it is their feces, or shed skin, etc. but some people can be pretty allergic to them.

[Joe_Compel]

Oh yeah....forgot to mention insecticidal shelf liner. Do a search for it.

Once you get things clean, you could keep your airtight bucket on a shelf lined with this paper. It is not the end all but could be part of the solution.

I keep my cultures on it to help prevent mite infestation.