Mite bites on me - are they in my house?

[pitsandchicks]

This past weekend, I interacted with the coop/hens in two ways I usually don’t:

1. I picked up a broody hen from the nesting box, held her against my body to carry her to around the coop and into the run;

2. I was spraying a waterproofing on the nesting boxes so I got inside the coop, which has several inches of wood shavings (start of deep litter)

Monday, I was at the store and noticed about 8-10 little bite bumps on my hands and arms. Pretty itchy — thought it was hives. But then I started noticing more, and some on my ankles. So far, all bumps seem to be ankles and arms/hands. The bumps are smaller and less itchy than chiggers, which I’ve had a few times before. I didn’t associate it with chickens because of the delayed reaction

I later considered the hens when a few more bumps appeared so I started looking up hen bugs. Learned about mites and realized that the Brahma rooster has has scaly leg mites since we took him (neighbor had to move in a rush so that’s how we got chickens in March). They’re now clearly bad, but these don’t seem to be what’s biting me.

I found grain beetles. Couldn’t find any specific mites (I have bad vision and am trying to do this by myself), but a couple hens look a little disheveled, like their feathers are just sad and bodiless. One hen hasn’t laid an egg in a while, and another has reduced production.

I decided to assume I have mites and am deep cleaning the coop, spraying elector psp in every crevice, dipping the chickens that seem to have scaly leg mites (at least two definitely do), and spraying the others down really good. From what I’ve read, this should eliminate coop/chicken mites.

So my question then… for anyone who has been bit my mites, does it sound like that’s what happened to me? Some of the bumps didn’t appear until a few days after I was holding hen / standing in the bedding. I’m bad at changing my clothes after i handle chickens, so I have a feeling those clothes touched the couch and went into a clothes basket with other clothes and sat for a few days.

Am I going to have a mite infestation in my house?? I am seeing conflicting info online. I’m trying to tell myself that if mites infested homes that easily, most chickenkeepers would have bedbug-like infestations in their homes, but then I found some scary stuff online saying that bird mites are nearly impossible To get out of your house once you’ve got them, so people like… move or get rid of all their stuff.

Anyway, my anxiety is on high. I think I’m solving the problem at the bird level, but what about the humans/house? (Also — dog doesn’t seem to have any bites)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It does sound like you may be having some symptoms from poultry mite bites. While they can't necessarily live on you long term since you aren't poultry, they can cause irriatation.

I believe @rosemarythyme dealt with this misery for a while and she came up with some solutions. One is described in the link below, but hopefully she will be able to chime in with some suggestions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/freezing-weather-dying-chicken-mites.1505776/post-25243109

 

[rosemarythyme]

It depends on what types of mites might be present. Northern Fowl mites will bite humans but don't live long away from chickens and will die off in a couple of weeks even if they get inside the house and are left untreated. Red roost mites live longer... though I don't know if they bite humans.

NFM bites are very similar to bedbugs IMO, closer to that than any other type of bites. So if you're seeing bites that match up to online photos of bedbug bites, that's likely what it is.

The thread above has pretty much all the info I have to share. Someone else on the forum has confirmed what my pest guy said, that rubbing alcohol will kill them, so depending on materials on your coach, bed, hamper - those would the areas I'd target. Or spray on permethrin will also do it (again, test on the material first to ensure you don't damage it).

 

[pitsandchicks]

It depends on what types of mites might be present. Northern Fowl mites will bite humans but don't live long away from chickens and will die off in a couple of weeks even if they get inside the house and are left untreated. Red roost mites live longer... though I don't know if they bite humans.

NFM bites are very similar to bedbugs IMO, closer to that than any other type of bites. So if you're seeing bites that match up to online photos of bedbug bites, that's likely what it is.

The thread above has pretty much all the info I have to share. Someone else on the forum has confirmed what my pest guy said, that rubbing alcohol will kill them, so depending on materials on your coach, bed, hamper - those would the areas I'd target. Or spray on permethrin will also do it (again, test on the material first to ensure you don't damage it).

Thank you!! I was convinced for a whole day or two that I had bed bugs. Except only some of my bites were in a line and others were solo bites. But all were on skin that was exposed while I was holding the chicken, so I’m hoping I didn’t bring any indoors and it just took a couple days for some of the bites to appear or for me to notice them. Still, I’m going to spray with alcohol because I don’t think my nerves can take thinking I have bed bugs every time a new bite appears.

I haven’t seen many mites at all in the coop while I’m cleaning it, but the hen I picked up had been in her nesting box all day. Maybe that makes the mites more likely to be on her. And they definitely got me from inside the coop bedding, which sounds like something the northern mites do.

I feel like an insane person but am hoping this elector psp treatment works!

 

[TOR]

Northern fowl mites can not live from humans, but as said will bite leave a red itchy mark. Couple days goes away.
Read also red mites can not live without chickens.
I had several bites from dusting this spring, did not realize I would get bit.
Mites without chickens eventually die, nor can they reproduce.
So lesson learned, wash up after handling chickens, remove clothes in mud room, clothes goto washer.

 

[pitsandchicks]

@TOR @rosemarythyme

I cleaned whole coop, sprayed elector psp, sprayed chickens. While cleaning the coop, I found some very small grayish bugs that looked more like book lice or something and 1 or 2 bugs that looked mite shaped (not 100% sure they were mites). Didn’t see a single mite on chickens as I was spraying them, although it was getting dark and was rushing to get them sprayed.

Now I’m paranoid it wasn’t mites since it seems they wouldn’t be a long term infestation in my house. Please dont ler thus be bed bugs! Maybe I just didn’t see them, but I definitely didn’t have a large mite infestation. Not sure if it takes a big infestation for me to get bit. I guess only time will tell! But I definitely will be washing chicken clothes immediately if I’m ever inside the coop or handling them. It’s crazy how you can pick them up without issues and then bam!

i also have every variable for several different bugs/bites: partner travels a lot for work and last got home 3 weeks ago, i was recently pulling long grass weeds and using a trimmer on fence weeds, and i have poultry!

Thank you both for your replies. I already find this community more useful than Reddit.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't know if chicken lice will bite humans, nor have I treated for those, so that might be something to read up on. I think the main difference with treatment is timing on re-application of pesticide.

Really hope it's not bedbugs - that was my initial fear as well! But both I and my pest guy double checked the bedroom for them and no signs, so that confirmed the mites were the biters in my case.

 

[TOR]

If your going to handle the chickens and dealing with mites, if you have to take some extra clothes . Change outside, garage, where ever. Mini wash up, 5 gallon pale whatever, garden hose.
Mites are very hard to see.
Put clothes in plastic bag, or straight to washer whatever.
I had a lot of bites last spring of course the mind starts think the worse things possible. I will have to fumigate the house type stuff ohh gosh going to cost thousands.. Then I started to do research.
I also keep hand cleaner with the alcohol by where I keep chickens. Anytime I collect eggs, new straw in nesting boxes, etc. I use the hand gel Or go out to hydrant and wash up quick.
Every year at fairs or exhibits with animals around the country there always seems to be some kids which get salmonella.

Also to be honest I would not want to handle anyones else chickens if I did not have extra clothes. I do not handle my own without changing clothes.

 

[AGeese]

Once you have this under control with the insecticide you might try mite predators as a preventative which eat a number of species.

 

[raingarden]

I've found NFM on me after handling birds or their bedding. Wear a white tee shirt so you can see them. Sometimes I don't see them but feel them. Other times they are just imagined. A bit of bleach in the washing machine or the bath tub seems to take care of both the real and imaginary mites..