# Springtail mites!?



## INDIANA1 (Feb 19, 2013)

I got little brown mites in with my springtail culture... Maybe half a millimetre in size. Are these dangerous to my frogs?? Like can they go in the viv with the springs or what should I do???


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

Bad news I`m afraid.
They are harmless to your frogs but they will wipe out your springtails.
You could try with lots of care separate your springtails from the mites, or some of them at least.
If need be use a magnifying glass to make sure you`ve not collected some mites too.
And then using the rescued springs make a new culture.
One of the most important things you can do is keep your spring cultures far away from your flies and when feeding the frogs ALWAYS feed the springs out before touching the flies as your guaranteed to reinfect your springs.

Mike


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

frogman955 said:


> Bad news I`m afraid.
> They are harmless to your frogs but they will wipe out your springtails.
> You could try with lots of care separate your springtails from the mites, or some of them at least.
> If need be use a magnifying glass to make sure you`ve not collected some mites too.
> ...


Yet another useful tip. :2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Thinking about it, I can add one to the pot, based on the book that Dane and I have both read on woodlice: if you culture more than one type of tropical, keep the dwarf whites well away from any other woodlouse culture; although their reproduction is initially slow, as a species they are all parthenogenic females- capable of producing daughter clones for life. In the confines of a culture, even one stray female can result in a total takeover :gasp:


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## INDIANA1 (Feb 19, 2013)

So they're not dangerous to the animals then???


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## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

INDIANA1 said:


> So they're not dangerous to the animals then???


 
Not in the slightest.
I`ve put infested cultures into my vivs in the past and the frogs have sat there for a whole day at a time picking off any mite stupid enough to show it`s face.


Mike


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## INDIANA1 (Feb 19, 2013)

So these mites pose no threat other than they'll eat my springs??


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

INDIANA1 said:


> So these mites pose no threat other than they'll eat my springs??


They make me itch:censor: Other than that, some species can cause problems if you keep any inverts (mantids, Ts etc) and some infest snakes. Never heard of any bothering amphibians though:whistling2:

Are the mites you've got light or dark brown? There's one type I've come across that is Devil spawn:devil: It's tiny, dark brown any shiny and they tend to group tightly around food. The ones I had nearly wiped out my orange and other more exotic large woodlice:bash:


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Lmao,Mike I agree completely with that one up there^^^^:lol2::whistling2:

Lewi,mites are a main feeder along with ants it seems for many dart species in the wild,so to echo other shouldn't be a problem for frogs. You can try flooding the culture, the mites ten to get stuck in the water. Then use a biggish straw to blow the springs which will be sat on top of the water to a new CLEAN container. this way you can HOPEFULLY start a new clean culture,with out any mites in

Stu


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