cypress mulch

[warlord]

i was thinking about switching to cypress mulch because it is mold resistant from what i hear but i also heard that it sometimes has mites in it already. if i use zoo med mite off on the cypress b4 i put it in the tank will that kill any potential mites so i dont have to worry about an outbreak?

[WifeOfSlasher]

Stick the entire bag in the freezer for at least 24 hrs. I swear we got mites from our bag

[warlord]

i dont think i would have anywhere near enough room in my freezer for the bag

[WifeOfSlasher]

You could bake it in the oven at 250 for 30 minutes. Just cover a cookie sheet with it. Store the bag outside.

[Tbone]

I use keepers choice cypress mulch. It's more expensive but it lasts a while and its awesome for maintaining humidity easily with out molding! I've never had any mite problems do to the bedding. But if i were to go cheaper and get your everday gardening bag of the stuff I would be weary of parasites on board. Those are some great tips with the freezing and baking thanks!

[tcutting]

Real cypress that you get from Zoo Med, keepers choice, T-rex, etc; is properly treated and wont have mites unless you get it from a store that is already infested. in that case it doesnt matter what you get, aspen, cypress, etc; from there it will have them on it. If you order it from an online place that is just a supply store it will be squeaky clean.

[JTrott]

Just as an FYI...you can't get snake mites from cypress from Home Depot, or the like. What you are seeing is wood mites.....harmless to the snakes.....if you got mites after you used cypress, you already had'em, and had a bloom because of the humidity, and now more space for eggs to be laid.

To kill the wood mites, place a littlecypress in a large storage container, spray with Provent A Mite(POM) place more cypress, spray POM, little more, POM....keep going until the container is full, or the bag is empty......leave outisde, preferably in the sun for a day.....after that, take the lid off, leave to air out for 24 hours...place in cages/tubs........if you have mites, it will kill'em.....also will kill the wood mites......and any other insect that touches it......home imporvement cypress is usually good for about 2 months or so, then needs to be changed...not all of it is humidity resistant, and will grow mold....depending on the air exchange in your tub......jsut watch your tubs...they will tell you when it needs to be changed......

Jason

[The Serpent Merchant]

on a slightly unrelated subject, Zoo-Med Mite off really isn't the best stuff to deal with mites.

P.A.M. (Provent-A-Mite) is the best stuff and is what everybody on here uses/recommends for dealing with mites

Here is a link: http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59