# How Long do Mites survive in the environment?



## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

I recently had a problem with mites, which I think I've finally got taken care of, dosing with Ivermectin. However since the mice are in a shed with all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies for tiny bugs to hide, it is impossible to treat the entire area, and I'm worried about reinfestation from the environment. So how long do mites live in the environment? Do I have to worry about spraying down all the shelving and such that I use, or do they die off quickly without a host?


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Wild meeces can bring them in in any case. And I think mites are sometimes found in bags of grain and in bedding such as the huge bales of aspen I buy that are packaged as bedding for horses. I'm resigned to treating prophylactically a few times a year and being alert to itchy scratchy meeces.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

I was afraid of that. I store some of my bedding outside (covered patio), and I suspect that's where the initial infestation came from. So after the initial treatment when you notice mites, how often do you treat them as a preventative? Once a month, every season, every six months?


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Prevention depends on how far away from a wall you have your mice cages or rather the framework of shelving, as mites will hide in all cracks and crevices and lay their eggs in same.

Having brackets attached to walls will not prevent mites.

Best option is place shelving legs into small containers then fill with diatomaceous earth will kill the mites before they have time to even climb the legs of the shelving to get into the cages. This does require the shelving to be placed away from the wall and the container so none touch and the legs of shelving space in the centre giving at least 2.5cm clearance all round.

If this is not possible then spray with a good mite spray atleast on a monthly basis in all the cracks and crevices is a sure way to eliminate mites. In building my new mouseroom all the woodwork will be painted initially with a mite spray before construction and then sprayed again in all joints before rack construction and the legs of the racks will be placed in cut down milk containers to a height of 5 cm and filled with diatomaceous earth.

I have read with interest many topics on this forum relating to housing problems of all types and have hopefully learnt enough that my new mouseroom has eliminated the risk of many problems arising from mites and other unwanted visitors, only time will tell.


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## Serena (Dec 29, 2011)

It also depends a bit on the type of mite that's bothering your mice.
Some really go outside the cages (Dermanyssus, Ornithonyssus, both a pain in the ass to eliminate), others not so much (Like Myobia or Myocoptes sp., you usually don't have them very far away from the mice)

Some people freeze the hay and stuff to kill all creepy little crawlers in it, but you can treat the mice prophylactically with ivermectin or fipronil as a spray as well. I always preferred the treatment


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