2 different types of mites in my fruit fly culture?

[happiness]

I recently purchased a fruit fly culture and I really didn't expect for there to be an explosion of mites so quickly. I have the culture sitting on my computer desk.. somehow the mites managed to get to the cup! Probably a little too late to put mite paper down..

Should I toss the whole batch and get a whole new producing culture? I was excited to see a lot of maggots, was hoping to create a new culture out of this batch.

There are the tiny grain looking mites.. THOUSANDS on the lip of the lid (I haven't even opened the culture yet! Guessing they're trying to get in??) Then there are these tick shaped, bubbled like mites (I think spider mites?) inside with the fruit flies. They have red legs. Some way bigger than others.

My baby chameleon eggs are about to be 7 months old. Some eggs look more developed than others. There are 2 that have a rounder shape inside (the head?) and then a flat area and they're moving! Hoping they don't hatch soon so I can have fruit flies for them (and crickets when I need to purchase )

 

[deerharvester]

Toss them, and clean everything with a bleach solution. Put mite paper down, and you will have a better chance of keeping them out of your cultures.

Scott

 

[junglefries]

Mites are HORRIBLE for herps. Listerine (plain flavor) works great on them. Can soak snakes and larger lizards in water with some listerine added. Don't know if chameleons can soak. Can wipe things down with it, also. Just in case it gets out of hand.

 

[ataraxia]

More than likely the mites come the source your buying the cultures from. In any event, they are more of a nuisance than anything. No harm to your animal but if they do get crazy out of control. They will crash your cultures. Just put some mite paper/tape down to keep them at bay. Finding mite free cultures is a difficult thing to do.

 

[junglefries]

I keep one culture going year round. They can last almost 2 months before needing to make second. When babies are about to hatch, I make 2-3 more with the one I have. Very cheap to do this and you know you have good cultures. For the future.