Will grain mites harm my ants??

[monochromemaiden]

Hello! A moment ago I was feeding my ants and I just noticed that there were mites on and in their formicarium. I identified them as grain mites as I spotted a huge amount of them swarming my bottle of cat food that I feed my mealworms. I'm concerned as to whether the mites will harm the ants or brood in any way. I am also already making plans to move them into a new home but I am not sure how well that might go so I'm enquiring on how harmful the mites are first. Please help!

[Brice15]

I don't have much experience with mites but what I have heard giving the ants large amounts of lemon it can reduce the amount of mites.

[CampoKing]

I *think* grain mites are harmless to ants. Some of my carpenter colonies coexist with wood mites. Wood mites are just scavengers and happen to like the same food as my ants. It's like stray cats getting into the dog food; no harm to the dog, really.
I don't believe wood mites nor grain mites are related to the known parasitic mites of ants.