Mites on driftwood/branches

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TA1PAN

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Hi Guys,

I have noticed one of my lizards has a few mites , so I have treated my whole reptile collection just incase. My question is I have a lot of expensive driftwood that I have bought over the years and I really don't want to have to dispose of it. Will spraying it will Mac insecticide be enough to kill the mites on the driftwood or should I just dispose of them? I will repeat process in 7 days as we'll.

Cheers
 
Submerge it all in water for a little while, and then let it dry out again.

Wing_Nut
 
Ive been told, leaving it in the sun for a day or two when its really hot ,then soaking it in hot water,then freezing it then in lukewarm water. or visa versa, hope the best with getting rid of the mites! :)
 
Ok cheers for the replies guys, so just spraying them with Mac insecticide will not kill them?
 
Ive been told, leaving it in the sun for a day or two when its really hot ,then soaking it in hot water,then freezing it then in lukewarm water. or visa versa, hope the best with getting rid of the mites! :)

Sounds excessive....

My understanding is there is a denaturalisation zone. If you place it in a black plastic bag and leave it in the sun for a few hours it should kill any nasties providing it gets hot enough.
 
What type of mite did you have on your lizards? The colour is a good starting point followed by where they were located on what species of lizards. Most mites that attach themselves to lizards are not a concern but snake mite are known to occasionally utilise skinks as hosts.

Mite can be drowned but if wedged into cracks in wood the air trapped with them may keep them going for quite a while. Mite spray will work but it also needs to access any cracks and sis best sprayed inside a sealed container such as a plastic bag. Mites are particularly susceptible to low humidity and to heat. Exposure to the warm drying effects of sunlight will desiccate and kill mite. Just make sure they are not able to march off into a protected spot and from there find their way back to your collection, which they can do by smell. Temperatures of 50[SUP]o[/SUP]C will kill all stages quite rapidly. The use of the black plastic bag is referred to as solar sterilisation (clear plastic is used for soil). On a sunny day the temperature inside the black plastic bag should reach at least 60[SUP]o[/SUP]C and well and truly eradicate any mite or other living things.

Blue
 
As I suggested in a similar thread the other day, sealing any furnishings in a black plastic bag and leaving it in the sun for a few days will make sure anything living on the bits & pieces will be knocked off. The orange mites commonly seen on geckos and dragons will not harm the host animals or any others in your collection.

Jamie
 
Hey guys I originally found some mites in the water bowl they were black with a small white marking on there back. Crawling on the blue tongue i noticed a few very small red mites crawling around there ears.

I have kept reptiles for 7 years and never had mites , and the only time I did not quarantine was with these blue tongues and They had to be carrying mites lol. Lesson learnt ALWAYS quarantine!!!. I do believe it has not spread to my others but I did treat all just incase, as I have been told all it takes is one mite.

I also sprayed the carpet around enclosures and was going to do this every few days just as a precaution.

cheers Chris

- - - Updated - - -

As I have never has mites before I honestly thought they were ticks, they look very similar.
 
You can put the wood into the oven and that will pretty much kill everything.

180 degrees and BAM no more bugs and you keep your wood
 
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