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Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...

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Stupid Soil Mites !
#1
ok,
two weeks ago, i bought a lot of plants for my new vivarium i am setting up. i noticed this week that some of the plants aren't doing so good (they are still in their oringinal pots and not planted yet). i took a closer look to see some tiny mite looking insects crawling on the soil. i have seen these on my bonsai trees before and they have nearly killed several of my trees. i usually break out the garden pesticide, but i cant do that to plants intended on going in my vivarium. i have run some soapy water through the infected plants but im not entirely convinced it will work. any suggestions?
1.1.1 Hawaiian Auratus (reticulated), 1.2.2 Leucomelas, 3.2.1 Cobalt Tincs, 1.0.0 Kauluha & Creme / Camo Auratus, 2.0.1 Yelloback Tincs, 0.0.4 Azureus, 1.1.0 Spotted Auratus
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#2
Are the plants indigenous to S.A.?

Rich
Darts with parasites are analogous to mixed tanks, there are no known benefits to the frogs with either.


If tone is more important to you than content, you are at the wrong place.

My new email address is: rich.frye@icloud.com and new phone number is 773 577 3476
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#3
Rich,
they are as follows:
cyclamen hederifolium "cyclamen",
ploystichum polyblepharum "tassel fern", athyrium "japanese painted fern", i am not sure where they are all from. common names can be decieving so i included scientific names.

thanks, ~Lauren
1.1.1 Hawaiian Auratus (reticulated), 1.2.2 Leucomelas, 3.2.1 Cobalt Tincs, 1.0.0 Kauluha & Creme / Camo Auratus, 2.0.1 Yelloback Tincs, 0.0.4 Azureus, 1.1.0 Spotted Auratus
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#4
Sounds like they might make good dart food. Have you tried feeding a few to your darts?
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#5
hey there,

::lol::: the mites are so tiny that there is no way i could actually get them to the darts. im sure the darts would eat them, but if they are a nuisance to the plants soil, they might be a problem. i think i will just wash the plants extremely thourough before using them . if there are any mites left then my darts can have them. hmmmmm,

any other suggestions?
1.1.1 Hawaiian Auratus (reticulated), 1.2.2 Leucomelas, 3.2.1 Cobalt Tincs, 1.0.0 Kauluha & Creme / Camo Auratus, 2.0.1 Yelloback Tincs, 0.0.4 Azureus, 1.1.0 Spotted Auratus
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#6
i wrote an email to the agriculture department of a college and here is a portion of the reply email about treatment:
"I would suggest that you treat your plants with insecticidal soap to suffocate the mites. Take the plants out of the terrarium, treat, and return to the tank 24 hours later. This procedure should not harm your frogs in any way."

sounds ok, and i have researched insecticidal soap and it seems to be harmless to animals. its basically a very pure form of soap.
anyone else tried insecticidal soap on their terrarium plants?
1.1.1 Hawaiian Auratus (reticulated), 1.2.2 Leucomelas, 3.2.1 Cobalt Tincs, 1.0.0 Kauluha & Creme / Camo Auratus, 2.0.1 Yelloback Tincs, 0.0.4 Azureus, 1.1.0 Spotted Auratus
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#7
http://humboldthydroponics.com/main.asp ... d=459&uid=
these mites will kill all 2 spotted or other spider mites. i believe californicus only attacks 2 spotted so if that isn't the mite you've got get a "triple threat mix" the beauty of these pretators is that once they've consumed all the mites, they eat each other and leave no evidence... they thrive in high humidity, and i've released them in droves in indoor gardens, but not in vivariums, though don't see any reason they wouldn't be even better in an enclosed area like that... if you are going to try and use neem, insect soap, or pyrethrins to kill a mite you'll have to repeat your sprays about every three days if you want to break the egg cycle, otherwise you're just wasting spray...
for a more interesting kick, i'd be curious if frogs would eat green lacewing larvae, then you could just set them loose, and once the mites were gone the frogs could have lunch... ; )
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#8
hey, thanks for the response

i eventually figured that the mites were fungus gnat larva. pesky little devils. i have actually seen my frogs catching fungus gnats in their terrariums and eating tiny tiny mites, so the issue was only a problem when i had the plants away from the natural froggy pest eaters, outside the terrarium.
cool information, i think that kind of stuff is so interesting. i like to spend massive hours the "worm's way" store near here b/c it is just like that online store in the link. ok, gotta go. ~Lauren
1.1.1 Hawaiian Auratus (reticulated), 1.2.2 Leucomelas, 3.2.1 Cobalt Tincs, 1.0.0 Kauluha & Creme / Camo Auratus, 2.0.1 Yelloback Tincs, 0.0.4 Azureus, 1.1.0 Spotted Auratus
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#9
good enough!!!! i'd rather have gnats anyday. the larvae can nick the roots accidentally when looking for soil debris but otherwise are pretty harmless. if they ever get annoying in house plants it's usually overwatering first off, but if that won't rid you of them than beneficial nematodes will help, as will "Gnatrol". but they're just a nuisance really. glad you got it taken care of! i'm an indoor garden geek too...
Robert.
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#10
One thing about mites---if they are rampant in your vivarium, you should consider that, if eaten in large quantities, they could cause your frogs to regain some of their native toxicity. I'm not sure which species of mites this applies to, but it's enough to make me sure to keep humidity high so that at least spider mites can be controlled:

"Poison dart frogs excrete alkaloid toxins through their skin. Most species are not lethal to their predators, but rather taste foul enough that frogs are released immediately. Dart frogs also do not synthesize their poisons. The alkaloids are sequestered from prey items, such as ants and mites"
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#11
dendromom Wrote:One thing about mites---if they are rampant in your vivarium, you should consider that, if eaten in large quantities, they could cause your frogs to regain some of their native toxicity. I'm not sure which species of mites this applies to, but it's enough to make me sure to keep humidity high so that at least spider mites can be controlled:

"Poison dart frogs excrete alkaloid toxins through their skin. Most species are not lethal to their predators, but rather taste foul enough that frogs are released immediately. Dart frogs also do not synthesize their poisons. The alkaloids are sequestered from prey items, such as ants and mites"

By the way---this is only a concern should you find them in the rainforest. The ants and mites get their alkaloids from poisonous plants native to rainforests that are not used in setting up a standard vivarium. Not to worry. This message is to reassure new hobbyists that CAPTIVE BRED POISON DART FROGS ARE NOT POISONOUS.
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