MITES in fungal cultures

[Lewis Melville]

J. Soddell (soddell at redgum.ucnv.edu.au) wrote:
: We have recently encountered a mite infestation in an incubator used to
: grow fungi. Can anyone suddest how we get rid of the mites, and what can
: we do to make sure they don't come back. They're causing losts of
: problems with our cultures.

: Thanks

: Jacques Soddell
: soddell at redgum.ucnv.edu.au
: Biotechnology Research Centre
: La Trobe University, Bendigo
: PO Box 199
: Bendigo, VIC, 3550
: AUSTRALIA
	We've had this problem. 
First sterilize the chamber as well as possible.  
Try mothballs in the growth chamber, or a few crystals of the chemical
which goes in mothballs ( I've forgotten the chemical name ).
Sometimes we seal our cultures inside plastic refrigerator food
containers ( brand name frig-o-seal, or rubbermaid or whatever). We
culture in petri-dishes sealed with parafilm and the little critters chew
right through the parafilm. We've found that these methods work fairly
well. lewis melville.