Does Aspen need to be treated?

[Jatango]

Probably something I should know the answer to already, but does aspen need to be treated for mites? I've heard of freezing it as a method to kill buggies, is this a viable option?

Thanks!

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[telefrag]

mites dont come from aspen.

If you are on a mite treatment regiment, you should be using a more neutral substrate such as newspaper or paper towels.

But to answer your question, Im not sure what happens to aspen when you freeze it, but I would guess it may make it a bit moist.
once aspen gets wet, its pretty useless.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Jatango]

Nah, not on a treatment regimen, just not sure whether I needed to treat my new substrate or not. Thanks!

[Rust316]

We treat our Aspen with Provent-A-Mite under the better safe than sorry doctrine.

If you treat the substrate and you bring mites into your collection somehow, the mites will die upon contact with the treated substrate.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Brandon28]

I usually bake new substrate in the oven @ 250 degrees for 20 minutes to kill anything in it.