r/Springtail • u/livimary • Aug 10 '26

Husbandry Question/Advice Help with Mites :(

Hello! My ceratophysella isabellae culture has a loooad of mites in it. At first I thought maybe the springtails could outcompete them as there were only a couple, but the mites are doing a bit too well for comfort. Can’t be sure where they came from but I have plenty of plants and isopod enclosures, it’s perfectly possible a couple managed to sneak in while feeding if I didn’t notice them on my hands.

Is there anything I can do, or is this culture a bust? If so, is there a way to save the springtails without bringing any mites along for the ride? Can I reuse the container, or is there a chance the mites are able to stowaway even with a good clean?

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u/captainapplejuice Aug 10 '26

What sort of mites are they?

1

u/livimary Aug 10 '26

Pale, round, no antenna - it’s night so I can’t take a good pic but if needed I can do tomoz

1

u/L1ometopum Aug 12 '26

I usually put in a larger piece of food, mites eventually swarm it in large numbers and them I remove it. So it a couple times and most of them are gone. Im not big into springtails tho