Recently there have been a great number of questions regarding how to deal with mites, what type of sprays are best, where to find them, where to locate Benzle Benzoate, etc., etc.
Having gone through the whole mite infestation ordeal and having emerged once again with clean cultures and a little more knowledge on how to deal with the pesky buggers, I decided to share a few things and hopefully compact some knowledge and ideas that are located across several threads throughout this forum into a single location.
This thread's purpose is to show how to create your own mite spray using Benzle Benzoate.
First off, let us come to know the enemy...
Here are some pictures taken from a badly infested FF culture,
![Image]()
The mites are the little whitish specks along the rim of the lid. They tend to move a great deal so if you have them this bad, seeing them won't be a problem.
![Image]()
They will transfer to your hands at the slightest touch. This can lead to contamination of other cultures.
![Image]()
Keeping fresh mite paper under you cultures and wiping the outsides with a miticide dampened towel will help control the pests. Keeping your hands clean between handling cultures will also lower the chances of cross contamination. Here are a couple of mite sprays that are available at PetCo and PetSmart and found in the bird supplies section. They range in price from $4-$6 for around 250 ml of solution. Several DB sponsors also carry these and similar sprays.
![Image]()
After going through 2-3 bottles of this stuff every two weeks while working through the decontamination process for my FF cultures, I decided to cut out the middle man and make my own. Two chemicals have been mentioned on DB as effective against mites, Benzle Benzoate and Tedion. I decided to use BB.
After searching the web for suppliers, I placed an order for two, 100ml vials from this location:
http://www.researchsupply.net/solve...91bnQrTGFiK0NoZW1pY2FscyZzPUdvb2dsZSZjPTAuMw==&gclid=CKeV8Pio1o4CFQe1YAod200uSQ
With shipping the total came to $21. Each vial contains enough BB to make 20 mixtures mite spray. I used isopropyl alcohol as the base for the solution:
![Image]()
Mixing everything up was pretty easy. After some research, I decided upon a 1% solution. This is accomplished by withdrawing 5cc of the BB and adding it to a 475 ml bottle of 91% alcohol,
![Image]()
![Image]()
...shaking well...
![Image]()
...and filling the empty (and cleaned) spray bottles with the mixture.
![Image]()
The container of isopropyl alcohol was $1. The combined alcohol and BB was just enough to fill two spray bottles full of home brewed miticide. The final cost of the solution per 250 ml is approximately $1.02.
![Image]()
Just as with the commercial mite sprays, I use this mixture to saturate paper towels which are place underneath all of my FF and springtail cultures. I also spray a small amount into each culture cup prior to adding media. So far the results are good, and I am spending less money and time running to the pet store for more spray.
If I get the time, I'll document a few other techniques on waging war against the bane of our hobby.
Steven
Having gone through the whole mite infestation ordeal and having emerged once again with clean cultures and a little more knowledge on how to deal with the pesky buggers, I decided to share a few things and hopefully compact some knowledge and ideas that are located across several threads throughout this forum into a single location.
This thread's purpose is to show how to create your own mite spray using Benzle Benzoate.
First off, let us come to know the enemy...
Here are some pictures taken from a badly infested FF culture,
The mites are the little whitish specks along the rim of the lid. They tend to move a great deal so if you have them this bad, seeing them won't be a problem.
They will transfer to your hands at the slightest touch. This can lead to contamination of other cultures.
Keeping fresh mite paper under you cultures and wiping the outsides with a miticide dampened towel will help control the pests. Keeping your hands clean between handling cultures will also lower the chances of cross contamination. Here are a couple of mite sprays that are available at PetCo and PetSmart and found in the bird supplies section. They range in price from $4-$6 for around 250 ml of solution. Several DB sponsors also carry these and similar sprays.
After going through 2-3 bottles of this stuff every two weeks while working through the decontamination process for my FF cultures, I decided to cut out the middle man and make my own. Two chemicals have been mentioned on DB as effective against mites, Benzle Benzoate and Tedion. I decided to use BB.
After searching the web for suppliers, I placed an order for two, 100ml vials from this location:
http://www.researchsupply.net/solve...91bnQrTGFiK0NoZW1pY2FscyZzPUdvb2dsZSZjPTAuMw==&gclid=CKeV8Pio1o4CFQe1YAod200uSQ
With shipping the total came to $21. Each vial contains enough BB to make 20 mixtures mite spray. I used isopropyl alcohol as the base for the solution:
Mixing everything up was pretty easy. After some research, I decided upon a 1% solution. This is accomplished by withdrawing 5cc of the BB and adding it to a 475 ml bottle of 91% alcohol,
...shaking well...
...and filling the empty (and cleaned) spray bottles with the mixture.
The container of isopropyl alcohol was $1. The combined alcohol and BB was just enough to fill two spray bottles full of home brewed miticide. The final cost of the solution per 250 ml is approximately $1.02.
Just as with the commercial mite sprays, I use this mixture to saturate paper towels which are place underneath all of my FF and springtail cultures. I also spray a small amount into each culture cup prior to adding media. So far the results are good, and I am spending less money and time running to the pet store for more spray.
If I get the time, I'll document a few other techniques on waging war against the bane of our hobby.
Steven
