Slug mites (Riccardoella limacum)

[snailfox]

Hello! Just looking for some advice, I have been battling the awful slug mites in two of my terrariums as my snails (Helix aspersa’s) were wild caught and unfortunately already had them. I’m on I believe my 6 or 7th round of Hypoaspis Miles and I am constantly checking the snails multiple times a day and bathing them but they just never seem to go away. Each time I order around 25,000 hypoaspis miles to split for my 13 snails in one larger terrarium and for the other 2 I have in a smaller terrarium. I’ve lost a few of my snail babies to this and it’s devastating each time. Is there anything else or any recommendations? Am I not ordering enough at a time? Many thanks in advance to any advice! (Ps: I’m sorry if this is in the wrong section of the site, I’m new and still finding my way around 🤭)

[Rasplutin]

I had the very same problem a few years ago, my snails were Cornu aspersum and Helix pomatia.
They were sent to me and were heavily infected. Read the story here:

petsnails.proboards.com/thread/18817/snail-mites

I used "ant spray" and let the snails inhale the fumes. All mites were instantly dead and the snails showed no reaction to the spray.

I posted my findings in another forum but i only got little feedback. from 10 users about 7 reported success, 3 reported no final result or said that the spray did not work.
At least no one reported that the spray did harm the snails in any way!

I have used "hypoaspis miles" mites before, and to me they seem more like a prevention-measure than an actual cure...

For now, the spray has a reported 70% chance to work.
If my snails had mites, i would use it again!

[snailfox]

Aug 18, 2022 9:48:11 GMT Rasplutin said:

I had the very same problem a few years ago, my snails were Cornu aspersum and Helix pomatia.
They were sent to me and were heavily infected. Read the story here:

petsnails.proboards.com/thread/18817/snail-mites

I used "ant spray" and let the snails inhale the fumes. All mites were instantly dead and the snails showed no reaction to the spray.

I posted my findings in another forum but i only got little feedback. from 10 users about 7 reported success, 3 reported no final result or said that the spray did not work.
At least no one reported that the spray did harm the snails in any way!

I have used "hypoaspis miles" mites before, and to me they seem more like a prevention-measure than an actual cure...

For now, the spray has a reported 70% chance to work.
If my snails had mites, i would use it again!

Hi there, thank you so much for your reply! Wow Ant spray! I’m desperate to give anything a try as yet another one of my snail babies passed today. May I ask which ant spray you tried? You are right about the Hypoaspis miles, they definitely help some but seem much more like a prevention then the end all cure, at least with heavily infected cases. Many thanks again for the advice

[Rasplutin]

You will find more information in the link in my post above. Linking the image here did not work, sorry for the inconvenience.
It was a "RAID" ant-spray, but "CELAFLOR" (contact)-spray also seemed to work. Their ingrediences are Cypermethrin and Imiprothrin (Raid), or Cypermethrin and Tetramethrin (Celaflor).
A problem could be that manufacturers change the formula over time - that would at least explain, why some people reported the spray as being not effective.

I used a glass-bowl, sprayed the spray inside the bowl and put it over the snails to let them inhale the fumes. "Glass", because you can watch the snail's reaction, there should be none. No retraction of tentacles or any other sign of feeling uncomfortable (Well, If they have mites, they DO feel uncomfortable).
Let them inhale for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on how often and wide the snails open their breathing-hole.


Although I still do not know why the spray does not seem to work all the time (only 70% success), there has not been a single report that any snail was harmed by this procedure.

[snailfox]

Aug 20, 2022 13:30:38 GMT Rasplutin said:

You will find more information in the link in my post above. Linking the image here did not work, sorry for the inconvenience.
It was a "RAID" ant-spray, but "CELAFLOR" (contact)-spray also seemed to work. Their ingrediences are Cypermethrin and Imiprothrin (Raid), or Cypermethrin and Tetramethrin (Celaflor).
A problem could be that manufacturers change the formula over time - that would at least explain, why some people reported the spray as being not effective.

I used a glass-bowl, sprayed the spray inside the bowl and put it over the snails to let them inhale the fumes. "Glass", because you can watch the snail's reaction, there should be none. No retraction of tentacles or any other sign of feeling uncomfortable (Well, If they have mites, they DO feel uncomfortable).
Let them inhale for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on how often and wide the snails open their breathing-hole.


Although I still do not know why the spray does not seem to work all the time (only 70% success), there has not been a single report that any snail was harmed by this procedure.

I’m so very grateful for all this information thank you so much! I’m located in the Netherlands so hopefully I can get my hands on the correct stuff. I should add a couple of my snail babies are half retracting (just on the breathing hole side) hopefully this isn’t too late or too weak to try out this method. From reading your linked post it seems like you also were in a desperate stage of needing something stronger than just the mites.

[snailfox]

Aug 20, 2022 13:30:38 GMT Rasplutin said:

You will find more information in the link in my post above. Linking the image here did not work, sorry for the inconvenience.
It was a "RAID" ant-spray, but "CELAFLOR" (contact)-spray also seemed to work. Their ingrediences are Cypermethrin and Imiprothrin (Raid), or Cypermethrin and Tetramethrin (Celaflor).
A problem could be that manufacturers change the formula over time - that would at least explain, why some people reported the spray as being not effective.

I used a glass-bowl, sprayed the spray inside the bowl and put it over the snails to let them inhale the fumes. "Glass", because you can watch the snail's reaction, there should be none. No retraction of tentacles or any other sign of feeling uncomfortable (Well, If they have mites, they DO feel uncomfortable).
Let them inhale for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on how often and wide the snails open their breathing-hole.


Although I still do not know why the spray does not seem to work all the time (only 70% success), there has not been a single report that any snail was harmed by this procedure.

From the post linked I think you’re in Germany? Is it possible to get the direct link of the stuff you used? I’m terrified to order the wrong thing and kill my lil guys. Thanks again for your help

[Rasplutin]

Yes, I live in Germany and I bought a collection of sprays in hardware shops and supermarkets - not online. I cannot give you a direct link because I do not have one.
It was four+ years ago and have been told that the RAID spray is still easily available.
The (red) can is labelled in German ("Ameisen-Spray") and Swedish ("myrspray") and lists two ingredients:
Cypermethrin and Imiprothrin.

As alternative works CELAFLOR "Ameisen-Spray", green can and labelled in German only, two ingredients:
Cypermethrin and Tetramethrin.
That can looks a bit different today, it now has an additional "Kontaktspray" near its name.

Does this help?

[snailfox]

Aug 23, 2022 1:30:47 GMT Rasplutin said:

Yes, I live in Germany and I bought a collection of sprays in hardware shops and supermarkets - not online. I cannot give you a direct link because I do not have one.
It was four+ years ago and have been told that the RAID spray is still easily available.
The (red) can is labelled in German ("Ameisen-Spray") and Swedish ("myrspray") and lists two ingredients:
Cypermethrin and Imiprothrin.

As alternative works CELAFLOR "Ameisen-Spray", green can and labelled in German only, two ingredients:
Cypermethrin and Tetramethrin.
That can looks a bit different today, it now has an additional "Kontaktspray" near its name.

Does this help?

Thank you! Okay I’ll see what I can find, thank you for explaining for me. Were any of your snails retracted? A few of mine are so I’m hoping they can still inhale enough to rid the mites. And lastly about how far away did you put the jar above the snails? Many many thanks!🙏🏻

[Rasplutin]

I never had snails that were retracted during the procedure, they all came out of their shells before the treatment started.
Retraction should not be a problem, active snails are just much easier to observe. And retracted snails will probably inhale less and need more time.

I suggest you treat the retracted snails seperately: put them on a table, breathing-holes up (= visible), put a glass-bowl over them, first without spray to watch their normal reaction to being under a glass-bowl.
Then -after a couple of minutes- lift the bowl, fill it with spray and cover the snails again.
How long should they inhale? Difficult to say... three minutes is probably a good start.
From what I have heard this depends on how long the snails already have the mites and not so much on the number of mites.
These little "aliens" dig into the lung tissue of their hosts, where they are better protected against the spray. If your snails have their mites for a "long time" (whatever that means) it may be that not all mites will die during the first session.

[snailfox]

Aug 23, 2022 14:23:48 GMT Rasplutin said:

I never had snails that were retracted during the procedure, they all came out of their shells before the treatment started.
Retraction should not be a problem, active snails are just much easier to observe. And retracted snails will probably inhale less and need more time.

I suggest you treat the retracted snails seperately: put them on a table, breathing-holes up (= visible), put a glass-bowl over them, first without spray to watch their normal reaction to being under a glass-bowl.
Then -after a couple of minutes- lift the bowl, fill it with spray and cover the snails again.
How long should they inhale? Difficult to say... three minutes is probably a good start.
From what I have heard this depends on how long the snails already have the mites and not so much on the number of mites.
These little "aliens" dig into the lung tissue of their hosts, where they are better protected against the spray. If your snails have their mites for a "long time" (whatever that means) it may be that not all mites will die during the first session.

Many thanks for this information🙏🏻, would you recommend putting the bowl almost on the snail or a bit further away? About how frequently can you try this method? (Sorry for the overload in questions🫢, just want to make sure I get it right!) I believe these snails have had these awful mites for quite some time now (unsure exactly how long but as long as I’ve had them for about 5 months) quite a lot seem to be in them as I’m bathing and dabbing with a wet q-tip pretty frequently each day in combination with the hypoaspis miles and it’s still a never ending battle. I noted a hypoaspis miles chasing a mite down and eating him which was refreshing to see they are at least helping a little, though interesting I saw on one of the snails 3 of the bad mites actually chasing away one hypnosis mile. Just confirms that it’s bad enough that something more drastic must intervene to give these guys a chance.

[Rasplutin]

yes, you put the bowl over the snails! There is no need for "extra air", the fumes of the spray need to have this higher concentration to reach the mites.
To fill the bowl, the jar, the bucket or whatever you are using, hold it away from you at an arm's length and fill it with spray for a few seconds. Then immediately put it over the snails.
If you notice some living mites after the treatment you can repeat the procedure - on my first snails I did it three times. That was just-to-be-shure and probably not needed, I could not see any living mites even after the first time. Anyway, the snails didn't care...

If the mites inside your snails are "guests" for a long time they have probably laid eggs.
Then it may look like as if the mites were returning after a few days. But it's a new generation.
It is important to observe the breathing-holes of your snails for some time and to repeat the action if needed.

[snailfox]

Aug 24, 2022 10:12:14 GMT Rasplutin said:

yes, you put the bowl over the snails! There is no need for "extra air", the fumes of the spray need to have this higher concentration to reach the mites.
To fill the bowl, the jar, the bucket or whatever you are using, hold it away from you at an arm's length and fill it with spray for a few seconds. Then immediately put it over the snails.
If you notice some living mites after the treatment you can repeat the procedure - on my first snails I did it three times. That was just-to-be-shure and probably not needed, I could not see any living mites even after the first time. Anyway, the snails didn't care...

If the mites inside your snails are "guests" for a long time they have probably laid eggs.
Then it may look like as if the mites were returning after a few days. But it's a new generation.
It is important to observe the breathing-holes of your snails for some time and to repeat the action if needed.

Ah! Okay I understand now thank you for explaining I was literally thinking of holding the bowl above the snails but I understand now I must completely let go of it while it’s flipped upside with the snails inside. 😅

[snailfox]

Aug 24, 2022 10:12:14 GMT Rasplutin said:

yes, you put the bowl over the snails! There is no need for "extra air", the fumes of the spray need to have this higher concentration to reach the mites.
To fill the bowl, the jar, the bucket or whatever you are using, hold it away from you at an arm's length and fill it with spray for a few seconds. Then immediately put it over the snails.
If you notice some living mites after the treatment you can repeat the procedure - on my first snails I did it three times. That was just-to-be-shure and probably not needed, I could not see any living mites even after the first time. Anyway, the snails didn't care...

If the mites inside your snails are "guests" for a long time they have probably laid eggs.
Then it may look like as if the mites were returning after a few days. But it's a new generation.
It is important to observe the breathing-holes of your snails for some time and to repeat the action if needed.

Were any of your snails stunted in growth? I believe some of my snails stayed pretty tiny due to having these mites so early on. I’m just hoping the smaller guys will be able to with stand the fumes just as the larger ones.

[snailfox]

Aug 24, 2022 10:12:14 GMT Rasplutin said:

yes, you put the bowl over the snails! There is no need for "extra air", the fumes of the spray need to have this higher concentration to reach the mites.
To fill the bowl, the jar, the bucket or whatever you are using, hold it away from you at an arm's length and fill it with spray for a few seconds. Then immediately put it over the snails.
If you notice some living mites after the treatment you can repeat the procedure - on my first snails I did it three times. That was just-to-be-shure and probably not needed, I could not see any living mites even after the first time. Anyway, the snails didn't care...

If the mites inside your snails are "guests" for a long time they have probably laid eggs.
Then it may look like as if the mites were returning after a few days. But it's a new generation.
It is important to observe the breathing-holes of your snails for some time and to repeat the action if needed.

I’ve seemed to encounter a new issue, I purchased some Raid however the new cans seem to not “mist” instead it’s a direct shot that comes out. So getting just fumes this way won’t work😓 do you have any suggestions?

[Rasplutin]

I have heard from someone about a similiar isssue... - I thought it was a different spray but maybe it's just another change in design.

The solution was to "spray" into the inside of the bowl and then to smear the liquid as good as possible along the inside, using tissue-paper or toiletpaper. Just take care that no liquid will drop onto the snails.

If you have the impression that it evaporates too quickly or not good enough you could spray into tissue-paper (or toiletpaper) and put it beside the snails, under the bowl.