Bugs in tank but NOT mites?

Pics if you can please.

I am using crushed walnut shells and had a similar issue. My bugs were cigar beetles I emptied out the tank, cleaned and refilled with new substrate and two months later the buggers are back. If PAM will kill them, I may try that as I have some on hand.

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Originally Posted by Pythonfriend

if its not mites, why treat for mites?

if they are really small and really fast then it could be springtails. in that case i would just ignore them. some springtails can be really beneficial.

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PAM will kill bugs its a poison .. Its not for only mites but since that's most common that's what it is marketed for

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Sadly I don't have a camera other than my phone, and they don't even show up from being so tiny. I know they're not spingtails, I keep a colony of springtails in with one of my frog tanks. I've cleaned it all out, bleached the tank, double rinsed, burned the mulch just to be safe and vaccumed every crevice of my room for good measure, so hopefully whatever they were won't be coming back. I saw no major outbreak while shifting through the mulch, and it appears I'm all out of cypress and my only other option is the coconut based substrate I use for most of my other critters, however for now my dear baby is going to have to make due with old fashion newspaper and a towel for bedding, least for a few days so I can keep an eye out and make sure the pests are gone.

Zachary brings up a good point with the PAM though. If it kills all bugs, I may be reluctant to use it, considering I also have 3 species of roaches, 3 species of tarantulas, springtails, pill bugs, feeder crickets and a mantis all in the same room, and it's a tiny room. Granted I could always remove the tank from my room to treat it to a good hose down of PAM, but I'm not sure my landlord would appreciate a python tank camping out on her kitchen counter.

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Originally Posted by ZacharyPoller

PAM will kill bugs its a poison .. Its not for only mites but since that's most common that's what it is marketed for

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yes, i know it will kill them.

but if the bugs are harmless / neutral, or maybe even beneficial, why eradicate them with toxins? it depends on what exactly you are dealing with. it seems like no matter what crawls in the substrate, its always the same default reaction: kill it with fire. well, not with fire, but at least with pesticides. i think thats strange, in the world of amphibians and aquaristics people pay good money just to get the right springtails or flatworms in there. if its springtails, in the case of a snake enclosure, all they will do is to reduce smell, by eating bacteria and biofilms. and in a vivarium for amphibians they keep mold out and help break down droppings.

so why throw toxins at the "problem", when all you know is: its some bugs, but its not mites. wiping out carpenter beetles is understandable, they dont do any good and are a bit too large, which makes them a nuisance.


i dont like the strategy: "it crawls?? --> PAM". my strategy would be: "it crawls? what is it, can it harm the snake, can it become a nuisance, or can they maybe do something beneficial? if its in any way bad for a snake or can cause problems ---> PAM".

the actual issue may be hard to capture in pictures, so i would ask: can they jump, can they walk on water, and are they soft? so soft that if you manage to catch one with your fingers, it just turns into a smudge? if the answer is yes to all, then just leave them alone.

If they aren't black or red but they look like mites then they are most likely wood mites. These are harmless. Do a google search to see if wood mites look the same.