# Mites in with mealworms?



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I ordered Sophie some mealworms from Sunshine Mealworms. I gave her five today, and they sure look like a treat she'll eat. She went right after every one that I offered. Practically attacked them.

I put the container in the refrigerator and checked them out later to see if they were becoming inert. The mealies were still, but the 'stuffing' was moving quite a lot. It was pretty creepy. Looking closely, I could see tiny, tiny little white specks moving around Lots of 'em. Wondering what they are, I did some searches. 'Grain mites' came up a lot. Is that a problem? Is it something else? Is there anything to be done, or to worry about? Or is it just part of having mealworms? I don't want to introduce a problem or threat to Sophie.


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## Guest (Mar 29, 2012)

i would try and sift all the worms out and try and put them in some new bedding.


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## pink-ster (Mar 3, 2012)

could they be baby mealworms? I have no idea about those things. just a guess.


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

It could be grain mites. I don't think that many of the major producers microwave or put their bedding in the oven to kill the mites. I would call the place you got them from and tell them you want to exchange them or get a refund. I don't know if grainmites are the ones that effect hedgies or if it's a different type of mite. But I've heard of hedgies getting mites from cat food and bedding, so I wouldn't take a chance.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

If you just received these, and you already have grain mites, contact the company you got them from and ask for a refund or a replacement.

Grain mites can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Most often I see it recommended to just destroy the colony, sanitize the container, then start over.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Oh no!  now I am going to be staring into the mealie bedding all the time and wondering if I see small moving dots. That's so icky..


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Yikes! >< Let us know how Sunshine Mealworms handles it and if you ever confirm for sure what they are. I've never had issues with dermestid beetles or mites, and I'm still eyeing my mealies warily!


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## Quinn (Apr 24, 2011)

I have never checked for that before. I freeze mine right away would that kill any mites?


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I've made an inquiry and will wait to see what they think. In the meantime, I wrapped up the container with plastic and put in the freezer. I don't know what those things are, but there are a ton of them - and active even after the mealworms became totally inert.



> I received the mealworms just fine and fed my hedghehog five of them yesterday. She loved them. I put the container in the refrigerator to render them inert. She can only have about five every couple of days. I checked on them later to double check the temperature and make sure that the mealworms were inert, which they were.
> 
> However, the 'stuffing', or 'bran', was practically roiling with movement - but not from the mealworms, which showed no movement. A really close look showed near microscopic 'somethings'. I need to know what those somethings are. 'Grain mites' has been suggested, which would not be good at all, but I don't know. Please advise.


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## vasogoma (Feb 25, 2012)

OH MY GOD o.o In what type of bedding do your mealies come? Now I am going to be a little paranoid every time I buy new mealies o.o

Edit: Sophie is very adorable!


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I guess they came in a 'bran stuffing' of some sort; whatever is usual. Mealies are new to me. I ordered from Sunshine because someone gave them a good recommendation here.

I don't know that there is a problem. I'm not qualified to say. That's why asked here before forming a question for the company. For all I knew, it's perfectly normal. But it sure was creepy to see all of the mealworms 'out cold' and then notice that the 'stuffing' was alive with nearly invisible creatures. My skin has been itchy since last night, which I'm sure is a psychological thing.
......................................................

You've got my picture beat with Agatha in the yellow cup. It's one of my favorites.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I got a prompt response from Sunshine and they are saying not to worry:



> Sure thing - those are most likely baby mealworms, according to my manager. He said that we ran out of fresh grain for packing so we used some of the grain we use to set the mealworms in, which probably had some of what we set still hanging out in there. So we'll call those bonus worms! If you feed them some carrot and leave them unrefrigerated, they should grow to size within a month or two.


I'd be curious (because that's how I am) to know why ~45 degrees knocked out the medium mealworms, but didn't appear to faze the "baby mealworms" at all, but I don't want to appear a cranky or contentious customer. Their explanation seems reasonable, I reckon. That would be s...-ton of "bonus worms", though. I wasn't joking about how creepy it was to see all that material moving around. (Are baby mealworms microscopic in size?)

At any rate, I've probably killed everything from putting them in the freezer. Because it seems like they will be safe, I guess I'll find out how Sophie likes frozen-then-thawed mealies. I was going to throw everything out.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh good! If they are just baby mealies, you have nothing to worry about. Baby worms are tiny and white in size, so that sounds about right.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Well, she got five thawed mealies tonight. She attacked so fast that I don't think she would have known they weren't live. When she eats them up, we'll go back to live ones. Freezing seemed the right thing at the time.

I had been consistently trying to get her to eat sweet potato baby food and fresh banana as treats. I quit the former because it was just wasteful to keep offering and she showed no interest at all. She would go for a the banana sometimes, but unpredictably. No waste on those though; I was eating offering her 5% and eating the other 95%.

The first second that she saw her first mealworm, she attacked. I was amazed.

When I need to get her more mealies, maybe I'll get her some crickets also. Do I get the biggest ones, or a smaller size? The mealies I'll keep live, but I don't want to deal with live crickets. Can I just give them a day's feeding of some fruit and vegetable and then freeze them; thawing out a few before treat times? Do hedgies attack crickets with the same gusto as mealworms?

I confess that I don't quite understand the difference between 'frozen' and 'freeze dried'. I should research that. I've read (regarding other animals) that freeze dried critters have to be hydrated before they are fed for safety; that they expand after consumption if not first hydrated.


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