Paul, thanks for the time and dedication of that post N/P

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: : : : ...it? I’m trying to find out the life cycle of mites. How long dose it take their eggs to hatch, and how often do they lay, how long do they live, etc, etc. : : : : Thanks, : : : : Trevor : : Life Cycle of the Snake Mite, _Ophionyssus natricis_ : : (For more information, see Camin, 1953) : : The following chart gives the average span of time spent in each stage of : : the snake mite's life cycle at two different temperatures. These : : temperatures are the ends of the range commonly encountered in zoos. : : <PRE> : : Temperature : : Development Stage 30 C (= 86 F) 20 C (= 68 F) : : ----------------- ------------- ------------- : : Egg 28 hours 98 hours : : Larva (nonfeeding) 18 hours 47 hours : : Protonymph (feeding) 3 days 14 days : : Deuteronymph (nonfeeding) 13 hours 26 hours : : Adult (feeding) 10 days 32 days : : </PRE> : : The time spent in the protonymph stage refers to those that find a host : : soon after molt. Unfed protonymphs can live 15 to 19 days before dying of : : starvation. : : A gravid female leaves her reptilian host and finds a dark, moist crevice : : where she lays eggs. Each egg hatches into a softbodied larva, which does : : not move after leaving the egg. It is usually safe from dying of : : dehydration in the crevice where it hatched. After molting into the : : protonymph stage, the mite continues to stay in the humid crevice until its : : exoskeleton becomes sclerotized, which minimizes the chance of death from : : dehydration when the protonymph moves to dryer areas. Then it begins : : wandering around the cage at random. If the protonymph encounters a host, : : it climbs aboard, conceals itself under a scale, and begins feeding. When : : full of blood, the protonymph drops off the host, finds a dark, moist : : crevice, and molts into the deuteronymph stage. The deuteronymph is active : : but usually remains in the crevice until the final molt into the adult : : stage. The opposite sexes usually pair off in either the late proteronymph : : or deuteronymph stage. Mating takes place shortly after the mites reach : : adulthood. The adult wanders randomly around the cage until it encounters : : a host. Then it climbs on the host, sucks blood until engorged, and drops : : off. Males seek unmated females, and females seek crevices to lay eggs. : : Females lay 60-80 eggs, feeding two or three times at intervals of one to : : two weeks. : : Whenever a mite encounters a barrier, it climbs instead of going around the : : barrier. This leads mites to climb up the sides of the water dish, any : : other cage furnishings, and the walls. Any mite that passes through an : : opening and leaves the cage is likely to fall to the floor. There it : : continues to wander randomly until it either dies or enters another cage : : and finds a host. This wandering will rapidly infest every cage in the : : area. : : Snake mites have rather rigid behavior patterns. If they encounter a : : barrier or an incline, they climb. They are attracted toward moist : : conditions and toward dark areas. If cold, they are attracted toward : : warmth until a threshold is reached, when they try to move toward a cooler : : area. They are attracted by the smell of a host and tend to stop moving : : when a contact area on the back touches something, like the underside of a : : snake's scale. The groove along a snake's lower jaw and around its eye : : make excellent attachment points for a mite, as these areas are adequately : : warm, moist, and narrow enough to trigger the contact stimulus. : : One of the natural dangers to a snake mite is its host shedding its skin. : : The snake crawls away leaving the mite behind in the shed skin. However, : : the snake is rapidly reinfested in the confines of a cage. : : Drowning is another natural danger to a snake mite. Snake mites are not : : able to swim and will eventually drown in water. In a bath, they are able : : to migrate along a snake's body to the head, which is usually out of water, : : and at least some of the mites survive. However, placing a clean snake : : cage on legs in a shallow pan of water will prevent mites from just walking : : into the cage. : : Heat and dehydration are related dangers. Eggs are significantly less : : likely to hatch successfully in dry conditions than in humid conditions. : : Snake mites are killed within a few minutes at a temperature of 55 C (= : : 131 F). : : (Camin, Joseph H. 1953. Observations on the life history and sensory : : behavior of the snake mite, _Ophionyssus natricis_ (Gervais) (Acarina, : : Macronyssidae). Chicago Academy of Sciences, Special Publ., No. 10. 75 pp.

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