General Discussion

Hello all! Here's a little update on the 'Dutchies' I got from BC and how I've been experimenting with keeping them.

This first image shows my invertebrate space. The drawers are a setup for mealworms, the tall bin in the front are pink springtails (Sinella surviseta), and behind that are where my dutchies are (Stratiolaelaps scimitus).

The dutchie setup is in layers. From top to bottom; spaghnum for collecting and application of the mites, then the original soil mix where they breed, then a mesh to separate the springtail layers, then some leaf litter and cork for the isopods and springtails, then soil where the isopods and springtails breed and reside.

The mites will burrow downward towards their prey, rather than crawling upward towards the ventilation. The mesh just keeps the leaf litter and other large debris from mixing with the spaghnum.

Sometimes if I gently blow air over the surface of the spaghnum, I can see the mites crawling around. These days, most of them are deep in the container getting prey, but some days there's so many on the surface!

However, this experiment did not come without some hurdles. Initially I kept the mites and springtails separate, but then mold became an issue in the mite enclosure. This is because the spaghnum I used came as a dense, dry brick that had to first be soaked. While I did mostly dry it, spaghnum's ability to hold moisture means that there has to be something to help deal with it.

I removed the affected debris, then combined the two enclosures into one. I also added some powder orange isopods. In this way, the springtails serve multiple purposes; they are food for the mites while also acting as a cleanup crew to fight against molds, as that is what they eat, with the powder orange isopods as co-workers.

Personally, I would recommend using the tube that attaches to the cage to apply the mites, rather than scattering the raw material. I will see about acquiring a supply of these tubes.

Rather than whole spaghnum, I'm setting up a second enclosure that will use peat. It's still safe, but a bit less troublesome to measure, and the mites will be more inclined to reside in the peat than the whole spaghnum.