Mites

bugman

January 14th, 2011 at 9:31 am

Tags

Mites in worm farm?
Location: Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia
January 13, 2011 9:33 pm
Dear Bugman
I’m wondering if you can help me identify these bugs which seem to be taking over my worm farm? The worms look a little distressed (crawling up to the very top and down to the very bottom of the farm) but not too worried (none have escaped yet.
Do these bugs feed on worms? Bite humans?
Thanks for your help!
Signature: Jess

Mite

Hi Jess,
Identifying Mites to the species level, or even family level is something well past our means and requires the expertise of an acarologist, however we will post your excellent photos in the hope that someone with more knowledge in the field than we possess might someday provide an answer to your questions. It does appear that you might have two different Mites in your worm farm.

MIte

I like This

Comments 1

bmoc wrote:
The first photo appears to be a mite in the family Parasitidae. These predatory mites are often found in compost such as worm beds. They’re probably feeding on nematodes or other mites, not on the worms themselves.
Posted 02 May 2011 at 9:16 pm ¶