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So today I discovered mites on my natural rind tommes ,  little buggers .

Looking under the microscope revealed a quite a few of them , I did a little reading about their removal and was not liking my options so I decided to use compressed air to blow them off . This seemed to get about 95 percent of them . They do not seem able to hang on to the surface of the cheese . The only ones left on after the  blowing off were the ones that were very deep in surface cracks . So next I used a soft brush and sprinkled  on diatomaceous earth , I will leave it there until the morning and then use the compressed air again to remove it .

I think this should get ride of almost all of them.

If it works I will follow up

What is  really interesting is how do they survive long enough to crawl from the cheese they were last on to my house and find my cheese fridge.  Do they jump on me when I go shopping at the cheese store , or did they come in on a cheese I bought there ?

From the recent class I took with Gianaclis Caldwell, she indicated that if you have natural rind cheese, you will have mites. So, her approach to control is vacuum rather than blowing. She also felt that taking the cheese to the sink, and giving them a good dry brushing, helps to control the reproduction of the little buggers. She also indicates that the mites do contribute something positive in terms of flavor and aging. Not all bad...

Quote from: Gregore on April 26, 2015, 05:25:46 AM
What is  really interesting is how do they survive long enough to crawl from the cheese they were last on to my house and find my cheese fridge.  Do they jump on me when I go shopping at the cheese store , or did they come in on a cheese I bought there ?

Pure guess?  Their eggs likely are so small that they get airborne quite easily and if they happen to land on a suitable surface they are off to the races.   

Get a little meat and eggs with your cheese!  Darn near a full meal!

We'll need a beer or two to wash it all down.  Got any ideas? 

Yeah, I'm about to make some more if I can find the time.  My Northwest Amber Ale!

You da man!  Do I turn right or left when I pull into Port Orchard from the south?   

Ohh I want that....  your beer Al.. and my Blue OMG ! what great pairing.

-- Mal

I actually have no problem with the mites , but if my wife seen them ...... 

I blew one cheese off after the diatomaceous earth sat on it for a night and the only mites left were pretty far in the cracks .

I did a bunch of research on line , there was a bunch of studies done back in the teens and twenties  very interesting reading.

Here's a thought if you've got the equipment to do it:  vacuum bag the affected cheeses for a couple of days.  I'm betting that the little buggers can't hold their breath that long!   

Quote from: Gregore on April 27, 2015, 04:42:58 AM
I actually have no problem with the mites , but if my wife seen them ...... 

If your wife sees them ..... more cheese for you!

Vacuum bagging was my first idea , except I was not sure what the lack of air would do to the natural rind .

Thankfully my wife does not eat too much of MY cheese , if she did I would have to get a bigger pot and make more . But at 15 dollars a gallon I think I am glad she does not eat as much as me.

I doubt that the mites can go without oxygen for more than a few minutes.  You could leave it bagged for a half day without affecting the natural rind.  Here is your chance to do some good science!  If suffocating them works you will have achieved fame that most of us can only dream about.  If it doesn't work then nothing will be lost.  I'm betting it works.  Incidentally, stray dogs and cats once were (maybe still are) euthanized by putting them in chambers and pumping a good part of the air out.  They simply go to sleep and die.  I've read that their fleas die with them.  So there is some precedent for what you are contemplating doing.  Go for it!      

I see a Nobel price in my future   

Quote from: Gregore on April 27, 2015, 04:42:58 AM
I did a bunch of research on line , there was a bunch of studies done back in the teens and twenties  very interesting reading.

Could you share some of the links?