[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: mites and whites
Hello Gary,
You have got rid only of adult mites. They probably left their aggs in
the soil. It will pay now to start new cultures with mite-free soil and
worms.
To get the worms mite free I just about drown them in water -- place the
worms in a cup filled with water and pour off any mites that float to
the surface. Repeat the process as often as necessary. If, for 15
minutes, no mites show up floating, the worms are _probably_ mite free.
To prevent mite reinfestation, coat your box outside, at mid-height,
with the "goop" used to prevent caterpillars climbing up a tree (garden
store). The brand I use is called "Tree Tanglefoot". Thick automotive
grease would probably work too, but it is much messier!
Best,
George
Frauley/Elson wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I tried an experiment, successfully, with my mite infested whiteworms. I
> had nothing to lose, as the cultures were being over-run. I took a plant
> sprayer, filled it with dish-soap and water and sprayed the entire
> surface of each culture twice. The soil was mostly covered with suds.
> The worms disappeared, and a lot died, but so did the mites. I cleaned
> up the dead, waited til I saw no more living mites (2 days), turned the
> earth over, fed the culture and, within 2 weeks, had viable cultures
> rebounding in 2 of 3 containers. The 3rd container was overwatered.
> I've been feeding the worms to fish for three days now, and all is fine
> with the fish.
> The cultures are in styrofoam fishboxes, so there was a fair bit of
> earth to work with.
> Gary
>
> ---------------
> See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe
---------------
See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe
Follow-Ups:
References: