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Blood sucking mites


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#1 Offline AntJohnny - Posted April 3 2019 - 10:36 AM

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I recently found a parasitic lasious. After I caught her I looked around where she was at and dug up a giant colony of lasious. Not quite sure what species I just know there lasious.

I caught a few and placed them in with the queen. they groomed her as soon as they touched her. The colony was massive, brood chambers everywhere, just in the little area I dug up. I used a testube and scooped up what I thought was a few dozen workers and a big brood pile. After I separated most of them from the dirt I had over 100 workers and about 500 eggs and larva. I made sure I didn't bother the host colony too bad. They still had 1000s of workers and eggs left. After I put them in the setup with the queen. I noticed two of the workers had a mite each. They we're blood colored balls on there back legs. I took the two workers out and spent about an hour looking over the rest. Half the workers are still in the dirt I caught them in so they could pull all the eggs and larva out. I can't tell if any of those workers have mites.

So I figure there are only a few things I could do.

1. Take the queen with only a few workers maybe a dozen and a few eggs and larva. And place the rest back where I found them. That way I could more closely keep an eye on the colony.

2. Release them.

3. Just wait and see if more appear.

4. Try ways of killing mites. I haven't found anything online that will definitely work

I searched for ways to get rid of parasitic mites, nothing seemed to promising. So I'm wondering if anyone here has been through this using a host colony. I haven't seen anymore mites I'm sure they are there just too small to see. If there is anything I can do or should do please let me know. This is my first ever parasitic queen and I really want to keep her.

#2 Offline Rstheant - Posted April 3 2019 - 2:27 PM

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Pictures? Also some advice:

1) put some rice and the mites could come off, or if you’re sure they’re bloodsuckers, I don’t know.
2) dip the workers in water for a couple seconds (it’s immensely stressful)


Good luck.

#3 Offline AntJohnny - Posted April 3 2019 - 2:49 PM

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I'm pretty sure there blood sucking mights. They looked like the ones I found online. I decided to put most of them back outside. I kept about 100 workers that I didn't see any in and a lot of brood. I also cleaned a new setup and gave them a different set up. I will try the rice still. Thank you

I'll go through some pics to see if I still have some if the mites

Edited by AntJohnny, April 3 2019 - 2:49 PM.


#4 Offline AntJohnny - Posted April 3 2019 - 2:57 PM

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http://imgur.com/gallery/Tl8EybQ

Anytime I try to upload anything on here with my phone it messes up. I am not good with electronics lol. I will put a video on imgur and link it here. In the video you can see a worker to the left and a worker to the right with a red mite on there back legs.

Edited by AntJohnny, April 3 2019 - 3:00 PM.





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