Leaving Home because of Red Mite? Photo: Tony The Misfit

Over the last five or six years, I have been dealing with the dreaded Red Mite in my own poultry houses and trying different control methods to get rid of them. Since posting “How to get rid of a serious red mite infestation” when I found a large number of mites in one of my hen houses last summer, the comments have come flooding in. It’s a popular post and hopefully it has helped people.

From the comments that were made, a few people were saying their own house had been infested with Red Mite and many people were asking whether Red Mite can bite / feed from us. From my own experience of dealing with red mite, I have found that they will crawl on me and make me itch but a shower gets rid of them and I didn’t believe that they could feed from us or other species. Unfortunately I was wrong…

Here are some extracts from a comment received from Laura in Ireland for example that really made me think I should investigate this further:

“We haven had a serious mite infestation for the last 6 weeks in our own house brought in probably by the dogs and ourselves, as we were all very scratchy all over and definitely getting bitten by them and no amount of scrubbing would remove them.”

and she went on to say

“…I would really like to know if there is anyone on this blog that has had their own home and body infested and how they dealt with it.  We are getting a steamer for the houses and are praying for a very cold winter to kill them off and going to keep our heating off, but so far vets and doctors have very little knowledge about these new breed of red mites that definitely reproduce on and bite humans. It is frightening if this strain of red mite really takes affect in the UK and Ireland, as it is very nasty, tough and reproduces at a bionic rate.”

So there does appear to be a problem here. Laura seemed to think that this was a different type of red mite that would bite humans so I decided to go to the experts at the University of Newcastle to find out more.

Dr George (now with the University of Lancaster) has been studying Red Mite and told me this:

“With regard to red mite feeding upon humans, it seems that this is actually more common than once thought. An increasing number of reports in the academic press are identifying cases of this, where red mite have also been found to infest other mammals (including rats and horses). In my opinion it’s likely that this has always been the case, but that such infestations have ‘traditionally’ been misdiagnosed. That said, I’ve never personally been bitten and I suspect that avian hosts are more preferred by the mites, where they may nevertheless take a meal on an alternative host if desperate. The ‘deserted birds nest in the attic’ is a classic case of this, where red mites (and other avian mites) are forced to leave the nest after the young birds have fledged – often encountering a human meal as they do so!”

Ideas for treating your house for Red Mite.

There are numerous products out there that will treat poultry houses but what can you use in your house?

Well, in commercial poultry houses, red mite are treated with pesticides, although there is growing concern that some mites are becoming resistant and different types of pesticide are used to try to prevent this from happening.

There are pesticide based products that are designed to be used in the home to remove common fleas that can infest the carpets and other areas of the home. These traditionally would have only been available from a vet but now are available from companies like Medicanimal. You spray it around the carpet /  edges and under skirting boards in cracks and then vacate the room, leaving the door closed for a couple of hours. Follow the manufacturers instructions and certainly don’t breathe the spray – ideally wear a mask. One I have used is Ardap Spray and another similar product is Indorex spray, available from Medicanimal.

There are pest control companies that will deal with fleas in a home. They will have access to knapsacks of pesticides that they can use so if things get too bad, it might be worth calling them in. I would still repeat the spray application every 3 to 4 days. The life cycle of a mite is 7 days – so treating before they have a chance to lay eggs will reduce numbers faster.

Chilling the mites, as suggested by Laura, leaving her heating off over the winter may stop them reproducing and feeding but I don’t believe it will kill them – they can survive in a poultry house outdoors over the winter.

Household pets such as dogs and cats should be treated with a flea treatment. When they are bitten, the red mite will die, further reducing numbers. Products such as Frontline ( for dogs) or Frontline (for cats) are very effective and easy to apply.

Newcastle University are testing different essential oils since these contain chemicals toxic to pests. For example, linalool from lavender is toxic to red mites. Their latest research shows that red mite mortality rates decrease with time – so the oils need to be fresh to work. My granddad used to hang fresh Lavender bunches in his pigeon loft and I thought it was to keep the loft smelling fresh!

The female red mite lays her eggs after a feed. There is also evidence though from Newcastle University that the acaricidal effect (killing power) of essential oils increases as mites are starved for longer periods of time so could covering yourself in an insect repellent  preventing them feeding for a few days whilst treating your house may help to knock down more mites?

Diatom is safe and can be used in the house – dust cracks and crevices – the good news is it will hoover up without leaving a mess afterwards.

Eat more garlic! The locals in Charente, France where I sometimes stay eat a lot of garlic and say it stops the mosquitos biting them (and Vampires?)… I give my birds crushed  garlic (2 or 3 cloves) in their water to keep them healthy and I am sure this is why I have had far fewer problems with red mite this year. I mentioned this to Dr. George and he replied:

“…some work has been going on there recently to control red mite using garlic in either feed or water, so the fact that this has worked well for you should be of particular interest to them.”

I look forward to finding out more about this and will share it with you when I do but it may help you to get less bites.

If sofas or chairs are infected, I would get rid of them. There are just too many places for them to hide.  (Sorry!)

I hope this gives you some ideas of things to try around the home, if I come across any more information, I will share it with you here.

Have you had Red Mite living in your house or biting you? Please leave a comment to help others who read this.

These are my top 4 Red Mite control products that I wouldn’t be without at this time of year. I have included some links to Amazon to the products which should show you the best current price in their market place. There are of course many products available but these are the ones that I have tried and tested myself and have had good results using them on a number of occasions.

The lifecycle of a red mite is 7 days. Make sure repeat treatments are done before this, ideally every 2 to 3 days or less at first to control numbers. If you only treat every couple of weeks, the numbers will have multiplied several times in warm weather.

1. Diatomaceous Earth.

Diatomaceous Earth or DE consists of the micro skeletons of fossilised remains of deceased diatoms, which are a type of algae found in both sea water and fresh water. I use this throughout the Red Mite season. It is organic, safe to use and can also be used at a rate of 5% in feed to help eliminate worms in poultry too. Don’t expect to sprinkle a little down and have instant results, you need to dust down the cracks where the mites hang out and rub it into the perches (so it’s dusty like a gymnasts bar). Keep applying every couple of days at first until the numbers of mites are reduced, then apply twice a week. It takes 48 hours or so for the mite to dry up but it does work if you are consistent. You can apply this to the birds too and in their dust baths although I tend to use Barrier Red Mite Powder for this as it has tea tree in it which works well as a repellent to insects such as lice and mites.

2. Poultry Shield.

Another ‘safe’ product, suitable for organic use that I wouldn’t be without. Poultry shield is a detergent that has the effect of washing the waxy coating off the red mites causing them to dry up and die.

I have heard many people say Poultry Shield does not work – but there is no miracle cure for Red Mite – just like DE above, it takes persistent regular use.
It only works if it comes into contact with the mites (you can see it turns a yellow-green colour after washing over the mites) and there will always be some mites hidden away out of reach. Re-wash the house every 2 to 3 days to prevent the mites from multiplying and keep a hand spray near the chicken house of a stronger solution that can be used to spray into cracks / perch ends daily where signs of red mite are spotted. Poultry Shield should be diluted in water at a rate of 20 parts water to one part Poultry shield for general use but this dilution can be increased to 10 to 1 for treating an infestation.

Poultry Shield gets my number 2 spot because it has been very successful, chicken houses are safe for children to go into after treatment and has been well tested by a number of poultry keepers over the years.

3. Barrier Red Mite Powder.

This Powder is especially designed for use on the birds. The main ingredient is Tea Tree and it is suitable for use in Organic production. The tub suggests it keeps working for up to 6 weeks but personally I dust the birds down every week when there is an infestation to give them some respite at night. I find this helps to fend off lice as well so is a really useful addition to the poultry supply cupboard!

Whilst diatom can be used to dust down the birds, I find Red Mite Powder better thanks to the tea tree which is a natural insect repellent as well as antibacterial disinfectant.

4. Durimitex.

This is a spray which I find very effective. I tend to keep a can handy and then if I find any mites during the week when I get home from work and don’t have time to do a full clean, I use this spray. It is a completely safe and natural treatment for the eradication of red mites, completely pesticide free. The 200ml can is easy to use, with minimal mess. The spray dries almost immediately and (they say…) will completely extradite red mites and eggs in one treatment. I agree with this statement if the mites come in contact with the area sprayed but there are usually a few that manage to hide away somewhere!

Durimitex is available (currently £9.40) from MedicAnimal. There is free shipping on your first order too.

Conclusions.

Red Mite is a serious problem and I seem to be writing frequently about them over the summer months. This is because it is so difficult to keep on top of them, but it can be done if you are persistent. Remember when treating, to break the breeding cycle of the mite, you must retreat no more than 7 days later. A female red mites in ideal (warm) conditions can lay 120’000 eggs. So it doesn’t take long to figure out how big the problem can become in just a few weeks!

I managed to get rid of a particularly bad infestation last year in a few weeks with just a pressure washer and diatom. You can read about this in my blog: How to Get Rid of a serious Red Mite Infestation. This year, I am using Poultry Shield and Diatom, again you can read about this in my other blog post: Poultry Shield Vs. Red Mite – The battle begins.

Finally, please leave a comment and share your experiences. You can subscribe to the poultrykeeper blog by RSS Feed too..

Good Luck!

Washing the Chicken House out after cleaning with Poultry Shield

The weather has been warm over the last few weeks and we haven’t had any significant rainfall over the last couple of months. I thought I would spring clean a few of my chicken houses with Poultry Shield before there is a hose pipe ban which is bound to be on the way.

Whilst dismantling some of the perches, I found the dreaded Red Mite so have waged war against them with Poultry Shield.

Red Mite multiply rapidly during warm weather and they are on the rise in backyard flocks. Red Mite never used to be a problem in days gone by because most chicken coops were traditionally coated in Creosote to protect them against the weather but it also had the effect of eradicating the mites as well. Creosote substitute was introduced a few years back and unfortunately this doesn’t provide any protection against the dreaded mites.

I was introduced to Poultry Shield about 4 years ago. It is one of the safer it is probably one of the best known products on the market, and has been really well tested by many fanciers

How does Poultry Shield Work?

Red Mites have a waxy coating on their bodies. Poultry Shield effectively dissolves this and over 24 to 48 hours, the mites dry up and die.

Poultry Shield is diluted down at a rate of 20 parts water to 1 part Poultry Shield for cleaning and protection but it is recommended to be used at twice the strength (10:1) when you are trying to eradicate a red mite infestation like this. Poultry Shield is available from various sources, expect to pay £20 for 5 litres but as a cleaner and Red Mite treatment, this should last a year or two for the average small flock.

Let the Red Mite battle begin!

So I have started battle with the Red Mite. I have washed down the house with Poultry Shield, inside and out and in every possible nook and cranny. I have concentrated my efforts around the perch ends where I could see clumps of mites and an hour later, I have hosed the house down before replacing bedding and straw in the nest boxes. I will rub diatom onto the perches tonight to catch any remaining mites that fancy a free lunch and will re-inspect (and probably re-wash) the house out again next weekend.

As much as you think it is never going to happen to you, it seems a regime of hygine and rigorous checks are not always a deterrent. Now the blighters are here, it’s been a gloves off fight to keep the birds healthy.

We instantly disinfected the entire coup and stocked the shelves with red mite powder, applying a generous coating to everything in sight every other day.

We haven’t seen a mite now for two weeks but the attacks had taken their tole. The birds have been left looking scruffy and upsettingly anemic. As their health has returned so has the spring in their step but I fear the war is far from over.

Let’s hope a spell of cold weather will send the mites scurrying to their tiny red graves.

Stay tuned for the latest on the saga!

Dealing with a serious Red Mite outbreak.

So how do you deal with such a serious red mite infestation? Normally, for small numbers I would wash the house down with poultry shield and use a number of other red mite products here and there to kill off these unwanted visitors but with so many mites in the chicken house, more serious action was required. Here’s what to do:

Allow yourself a good couple of hours…

• Clean out the house, remove all loose bedding material. Strip the house down as much as you can. Remove as many parts as possible including pop holes, automatic pop hole openers and anything else that will unscrew easily.

• If you have a felt roof, remove this – yes, unfortunately you will need to re-felt the roof. If you don’t you will find millions of red mites will still live happily under the felt.
  

  Cleaning the chicken house to remove red mites

• Using a high pressure hose / pressure washer, wash the house and parts down. Get the spray in every crack and crevice. This will take about 45 minutes if done properly. If you miss a crack, hundreds of mites could be hiding in there so it’s really important to ensure you get into everywhere possible. The spray will bounce back and soak you at times so wear old clothes and be prepared to get wet.

• Wait for the house to dry 10 to 15 minutes. Now look at it carefully – you should see red mites crawling around. These are the guys you missed that are coming out because they have been disturbed and are wet.

• Go over the house again from top to bottom, again concentrating on the cracks.

• 

  Spread generous amounts of Diatom on the bedding material.

  Repeat the above process as many times as necessary until there are very few mites coming out. The more you remove, the better. Even small populations can multiply quickly.

• Put your house back together. If you had a felt roof, leave re-felting until you are mite free for a couple of weeks. A temporary waterproof material should be used – plastic is ideal.

• Add fresh bedding material as you would after cleaning normal.

• Sprinkle a generous amount of diatom onto the bedding. The manufacturers recommend 500g per M2 which is quite a lot.

• Put a handful of diatom into your hand and rub it
  

  Diatom should be rubbed into perches

  into each perch, taking particular care around the ends and the underside. Whenyou have finished it should be white and smooth, like a gymnasts bar.  Red mites have to crawl over this to get to the chickens at night.

Monitor the house for a few days, particularly on perch ends and re-apply diatom to the perches every couple of days or as soon as it starts to wear off.

If you have got into all of the cracks successfully, you should notice a drastic reduction in the number of red mite in the house – if you still find reasonable numbers, make up a spray mixture of poultry shield and spray onto these areas using a hand held plant mister.

Continue using diatom for a few weeks until there are no more signs of red mite.

You will find an article on Red Mite with lots more information on the main poultrykeeper site, there are also other posts about Red Mite in my blog – (select ‘Red Mite’ in the Tag cloud to see them) including My Top 4 Red Mite Products

If you have any other tips on controlling red mite or would like to leave a comment then please feel free to do so below.

You can buy Diatomaceous Earth on Amazon – see the advert to the right. There is also a large 1Kg tub for sale on there with a shaker that is useful too. I refil my shaker from the large tub as it’s easier to apply and less wasteful.