Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 13:37
All has been going well with my bins until today....MITES! And I mean a bunch of 'em. After reading through past mite topics on the forum I've put together a plan of action. Am I on target here?
*take bins outside for a couple of hours.
*remove all visable food
*add fresh dry bedding
*no feeding for a week or so
Sound like a plan? I can't believe how many of these little suckers there are! I opened one bin and they were all over me in a few seconds. I plan on giving all 5 of my bins (rubbermaids) the same treatment since I have them stacked in close quarters and I suspect the mites have gotten in all of the bins.
Any more advice? 
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Worm Chick
Summitville, Indiana |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 13:54
Okay, I've put all the bins outside, removed food and left lids off. Within a couple of minutes all the mites had nosed dived into the bedding. I'm concerned that instead of trying to control the mites I've just driven them closer to my herd. By the way, it's cold in Indiana, about 30 degrees or so. Will the worms be okay for an hour or so outside?
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Worm Chick
Summitville, Indiana |
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gnosnhoj
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 14:59
Don't think you oughta leave 'em outside, Michelle. As you've seen, everything will just dive to the middle to stay warm.
You've mostly got the rest.
Recommendations based on what I've done, and this is assuming an otherwise healthy bin:
Remove visible chow
Add some dry bedding and mix well
Put a couple slices of old bread or some such on the bedding surface; cover as usual
Let sit overnight (inside!)
Check for mite swarm on the bread and feed the outside birds
Maintain dryer bin conditions and add more bread etc. if needed
The less old chow laying around in the bin, the fewer mites you'll have. Feed smaller portions and don't feed again until you can't tell what it was anymore.
Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 15:29
Thanks, Gary. I've already moved the bins back inside, removed all food and then added a piece of stale bread to each one. After I add the dry bedding do you think I should leave the lids off? The bins don't seem to be too wet. Nothing coming out the bottom holes, anyway. Thanks for your help.
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Worm Chick
Summitville, Indiana |
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gnosnhoj
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 15:43
Michelle wrote:
After I add the dry bedding do you think I should leave the lids off?I've always re-covered mine, thinking it helps dampen the bread 'bait' to attract the mites.
Nothing coming out the bottom holes, anyway.Might be more an issue of too much chow sitting in there then.
How deep is your actual bedding, and what are you using?
Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 15:55
I'm using shredded newspaper, cardboard and office paper. It's about 7-8 inches deep. I fed a couple of days ago and all but just a small amount in two bins was gone today. I have Euros in three bins and reds in two bins. They all had mites but only two of the Euro bins had an over-abundance. I know to expect some free-loaders in the bins but there was a crazy amount of mites in there. The reddish ones that move really fast. As long as they aren't bothering my herd I wont get too worked up but having mites running up my arm really isn't a great experience...it makes me itchy thinking about it!
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Worm Chick
Summitville, Indiana |
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redhen
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 18:15
Gary's got the right advice.
The mites won't hurt your worms. The conditions in the bin just favor the mites right now. The love wet acidic bins.
I would hold off feeding for a week or so and let things balance back out.
Susan Quinby-Honer
redhen@nc.rr.com
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Paratrooper
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A Mature Breeder Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 20:04
I got rid of my mites the easy way albeit a bit late . After I harvested and changed bins I let the castings sit for a couple of weeks sifting every couple of days to find new worms and put them with the rest . After I was pretty sure that all I had was castings and mites I put it all in a big tub . Filled it with water and stirred it up . All the mites came to the surface where they were dealt with by using the water hose to wash them away onto the dirt ground outside . I then drained the water and dried out my castings . It was quick and easy . I would think that the hardest part would be to clean the mites off the worms so you don't introduce them to the new bin . I'm thinking of how to do that myself . I think that a quick dump and shake in water with the worms in a strainer would wash the mites away . The mites seem to float quickly so a few seconds underwater is all that should be needed . The worms might get a bit traumatized but if you can obtain a Proziac tablet from someone and grind it up and sprinkle it on them it should be OK . (You GOTTA know I'm kidding). Mites seem to come with the territory so they seem to be more unsightly than a real danger . I had a worm tell me that mites taste like chicken so there's hope .
Tom
Kingman Arizona |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/08 21:00
one prozac for the worms....two for me....one prozac for the worms....three for me....continue till all mites are gone. OK, I got it!
Things seem to have settled down a bit. I've changed the bread in each bin once getting rid of a lot of the little suckers. Dry bedding has helped a lot. At least now the mites seem manageable. Thanks, everyone, for your help.
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Worm Chick
Summitville, Indiana |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/14 22:28
Hey, Gary!!!!! I've been doing the bread thing for several days now. Still getting LOTS of mites. Do you know if there's a sticky trap or something similar that might work? Or are the mites to small for something like that? I'm glad the weather is finally warming up. Pretty soon I should be able to move the bins to the garage.
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Worm Chick
Summitville, Indiana |
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gnosnhoj
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/15 11:06
Hope the Prozac scrip is holding out, Michelle.
I dunno about sticky traps. It can take a few weeks to get the mites down. I'd keep on with the bread or fruit peels etc. until they get to tolerable levels. You oughtn't have to buy anything since the on-hand stuff is working.
How's the herd & bedding looking since you've dried 'em out some?
Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/15 11:31
Everything looks pretty good. The herd is holding on just fine. Actually, the mites are more of a nuisance for me, they don't seem to be bothering the worms. Just a pain when they start running up your arms! I haven't fed since the initial invasion which was about a week ago. I was thinking of adding a small amount of food to each bin today. What do you think?
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Worm Chick
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gnosnhoj
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/15 12:14
Michelle wrote:
Everything looks pretty good. The herd is holding on just fine. ... I was thinking of adding a small amount of food to each bin today. What do you think?Glad to hear it. I imagine it'd be ok to give 'em a little nosh.
Y'all have fun, whatever you're doing.
Gary
Hopkinsville, KY |
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Michelle
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/16 22:51
So I'm giving my herd a little 'nosh' as Gary puts it and these stinkin' mites are running up my arm and I'm saying a few not so nice words when I spot my lint roller. You know the ones with the tape on it that you peel off when it stops pickin' up lint. A light bulb lites up somewhere above me....Yep, I used that thing to pick up mites. Hundreds of the little suckers! When I take the lid off the bins the mites seem to come up and run around the top lip of the bin. Perfect for me to run the lint roller around! Might not make a huge dent in the mite population but it sure made me feel better seeing them smashed on the lint roller.
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Worm Chick
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jlance
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 08:18
I did a search and came up with info.that might be the problem.Booklice seems to fit the activity of the mite you have,which i have had.They like dark damp places.You might leave the lids off and put light over your bins i believe they will eventualy leave .
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/psocids.html
Post edited by: jlance, at: 2008/03/17 08:23
heal the earth with worm farming.
John Lance Indain Valley,virginia |
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geordier
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A Juvenile Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 10:11
Gotta hand it to the ladies!
use household tools for wiping out mites.
You could also use a hand held vacuum cleaner, you know, cordless?
George
Co. Armagh
Northern Ireland
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wormgirlnyc
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A Hatchling Earthworm
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 11:24
hm i had little red mites too. and quite by accident i got rid of a buncha them when i put in mango peels. they SWARMED it. i went EW and tossed out the mite-covered peel.
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Worm Police
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 13:18
Ashes, add ashes to the mite affected bins. Mites and lice hate it.
About a cup or two of ashes should work, just enough to fully cover the tops. Wait a week or so before mixing in.
Or use the bread trick.
Put slices of stale bread in, and remove the next the any bread that has mites on it.
Connie
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joetownhound
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 16:01
what type of ashes to add to the bins? Will ashes from a bbq grill work?
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Worm Police
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 16:57
Preferably wood ashes from a fire place, or wood stove.
Some brands of BarBque ashes are made with coal, so I am not sure if they might be safe for worms. If you are not certain of the ashes, be safe and use the bread, dampen with milk, lay on top of the bedding, remove and throw away bread that has mites on it the next day.
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jlance
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 17:45
warning fresh ashes will kill worms
heal the earth with worm farming.
John Lance Indain Valley,virginia |
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jlance
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/17 17:46
warning fresh ashes will kill worms
heal the earth with worm farming.
John Lance Indain Valley,virginia |
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WistarWorms
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/18 09:35
joetownhound wrote:
what type of ashes to add to the bins? Will ashes from a bbq grill work?
I would think that only wood ashes from your fireplace would do. Ashes from your BBQ can contain lots of nasty chemicals & petro products that are best left out of your worm bins.
We Are WORM - Resistance Is Futile!
Buddy
Richmond, VA |
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Kori
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/18 13:33
warning fresh ashes will kill worms
How old do the ashes need to be??
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Worm Police
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Re:Mites are invading...send help quickly! - 2008/03/18 17:45
In the old days when our pioneer ancestors made their own soap, ashes, especially hard wood ashes, were leached in water, the drainage was a lye based product.
So it wouldn't be the age of ashes, but their state.
I use ashes out of my out door burning pile which consist of various pine, and fir woods, old hay, paper and card board. I usually wait several weeks, about a month, after it has rained, or been sprayed with a garden hose, depending on time of year, I then sift and store it for use in my worm bins, the bulk of it going into big compost bins. Plants love it. And I have always picked out large worms during sifting, so I always assumed that it was safe in small amounts.
Because I suggested using only a small amount, like a cup or two, I wouldn't think that would cause harm to the worms, as I used that remedy my self when my worm bins became infested 4 years ago with some type of lice, which were eating the poor worms alive.
I think the lice came from old bird nests I put into the worm bins. They were pretty poopy, mud nests that were made by barn swallows.
Anyway I have never been re infested.
So if you have questionable ashes don't use them, but if you feel they are pure wood and paper, put into a bucket, fill and drain with water dump and let dry, but this will take several days for ashes to dry. If in doubt, don't do it.
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