Super tiny white bugs

[Jcac]

Hello,

I have just noticed tons of VERY tiny white bugs crawling on the inside and outside of my hermit crab tank. I saw one on my crab’s shell, but none directly on him. I also noticed them on the table the tank is on, as well as here and there throughout the room. Ugh! We just came back from a 2 week trip in which we brought our crab in his tank, so the bugs must have been picked up in our hotel room. Of course we had the tank sitting in our KITCHEN when I found the bugs.

I gave my crab a bath and put him in isolation tank. I plan on buying a new tank and substrate today, and will boil his food dishes & accessories. I will put his new tank on a different floor in the house, but am worried the bugs will come right back.

They are so small that they are hard to notice, and you wouldn’t be able to see their features without using a microscope. I tried to take a photo of two of them on a cabinet - they slowly crawl:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c247hu0jbyic0 ... 4.JPG?dl=0

Are these booklice, some type of mite, or something else? Are they harmful to the crab, and will they bite people/a dog? Will the ones in the house go away on their own? I do know booklice are common in homes but this is an infestation. I’m pretty creeped out!

Thanks so much for any tips or help!

[wodesorel]

Looks like food/grain/wood mites. I just had an explosion myself this week, found them all over my worktop, and the water bottles I use for my critters were absolutely covered with them. It may just be that time of year? I cleaned up what I saw and am not worrying, but we've had these mites for years without issue.

[Jcac]

Looks like food/grain/wood mites. I just had an explosion myself this week, found them all over my worktop, and the water bottles I use for my critters were absolutely covered with them. It may just be that time of year? I cleaned up what I saw and am not worrying, but we've had these mites for years without issue.

Thank you so much for your reply! This makes me feel a lot better. Do they usually just go away on their own, before returning the next year? And do you know if they tend to stay in the room the tank is in, or will they eat anything else in the house? Thanks again.

[Jcac]

Looks like food/grain/wood mites. I just had an explosion myself this week, found them all over my worktop, and the water bottles I use for my critters were absolutely covered with them. It may just be that time of year? I cleaned up what I saw and am not worrying, but we've had these mites for years without issue.

Hello again! The mites are back again, but in smaller numbers this time - I think I caught them early. Do you happen know what attracts them, or any methods for keeping them away? I had tried putting double-sided tape around the upper exterior or the tank but found mites inside and outside the tank, so the tape wasn’t effective. I really want to keep them out of the tank somehow. Thanks!