Bogertophis: I was able to gently remove it with a moistened Q-tip like you suggested, it was a relatively easy process considering I was dealing with a ticked off ball of python.....
That sure beats dragging that poor snake to the vet's...glad I could help you brainstorm an easy solution.
rvcasa: I'm not 100% sure on that one, I've bought from private collections in the past and have never had a snake come to me with mites. Usually if I see mites I'm either dealing with a rescue snake or some other special circumstance animal that needs some help.
That's what I meant.
I've found more mites from 'reputable breeders' and reptil traders than private collections