Need help with mite identification (images below!)

[K2goatsandducks]

Hello, everyone!

A few months ago, I discovered red mites in the coop. I have been treating with Permethrin and Elector PSP, and am finally making headway in clearing out the coop.

The problem is that I am seeing hundreds (probably thousands in hiding) of mites on the ground in the run and around the coop and run, and TONS in my compost pile. What doesn't make sense is that these mites are out and about in the daylight, and they move pretty quickly. I have seen some on the exterior of the coop house, and I'm confident that I can treat those ( I plan on sealing and painting the interior of the coop), but the mites on the ground and in the compost... I am at a loss of what to do. I have found them under our boots on the patio, and I can just feel my skin crawling when I come inside from being out with the birds.
I just found a teeny tiny one on my arm while I'm typing this.

I put a couple of the ground dwellers on a piece of tap and took a photo. If you zoom way in, you can see them:

When I smooshed the taped mites, there was no blood, just brownish clear bug guts.

I also googled "mites in compost," and these links seem to match really well what I am seeing:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/comments/atlurc

Here is a video someone took; mine look and move almost identical to these:

https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/g3qsh2

So what do you think? Am I dealing with an outrageous red roost mite infestation? Or is this a combination of different creepy crawlies? I should mention that while there are still mites sneaking out to snack on my birds on the roost, their numbers are way down, and my birds happily go to bed at night on their roosts. (Early on in the process, my bantams kept trying to sleep outside, so I'm relieved to see everyone back in bed.

Please let me know what your experience is! I appreciate any help or insight.

 

[Tyrannosaurus_Pecks89]

Hmm it could be a mix of another small reddish brown bug in a smaller stage of growth. However, it could also be the Red Roost mites just in a different location especially if you compost your chicken poop from the coop. It is hard to fully get rid of mites because in some of their stages of development different sprays/bug killers need to be used.

The first coop I ever got from someone had mites (which is probaly why I got it for so cheap)! I had to spray the coop and the roosts weekly with permithrine liquid and let it dry. Try and kill as many of the adults as possible then when there numbers were down I would focus on the mite eggs and larva . I would spray/dust the coop with a mix of powder permithrine and dicotomus earth in all the nooks and crannies I could find. I would also make sure the chickens dust bath had this combination in it.

I would say try using the garden and poultry powder (powder permithrine) and the dicotomus earth in your compost as well. To kill the mites. They are tenacious and it takes a bit of time to fully eradicate them. They can easily spread. So when you clean the coop the waste/soiled bedding should go directly into a plastic bag (or two) and be thrown out and not reused in any fashion until the infestation is mostly gone.

You can also use Vaseline to seal up spots the mites could be because this will stop them from getting air. Give your chickens spices like oregano and garlic this also deters mites and other pests.

I think they are all Red Mites/ Red Roost Mites. Good luck with killing them. I don't usually use chemicals but I broke down and used the permithrine liquid and powder because the mites are very tenacious.

Sending good vibes your way

-Kate

 

[Tyrannosaurus_Pecks89]

I would also increase the frequency of bedding change in the coop. When my coop had the mites I cleaned it weekly or every other day. This will catch all the bugs that are hatching. An be very very liberal with the powder and the liquid spray. Use every defense or killing strategy you can and be as tenacious as the bugs. Here is a great detailed article that tells you everything even some stuff that were not in other articles you might have already read.

https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/red-mite/

 

[MysteryChicken]

Compost Pile Mites. Harmless. They can be either brown, or white in color.

 

[K2goatsandducks]

I would also increase the frequency of bedding change in the coop. When my coop had the mites I cleaned it weekly or every other day. This will catch all the bugs that are hatching. An be very very liberal with the powder and the liquid spray. Use every defense or killing strategy you can and be as tenacious as the bugs. Here is a great detailed article that tells you everything even some stuff that were not in other articles you might have already read.

https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/red-mite/

Thank you so much!
We are going to strip the run down to the dirt as soon as we get a break in the rain. I bought several canisters of permethrin powder to sprinkle throughout. I plan on leaving just dirt for a while and continuing to powder the run before adding shavings.
I should have mentioned that I have ducks and geese as well, so they sleep in the run. I haven’t seen signs of a roost might infestation in the wood run supports; just the creepy crawlies living in the poop and dirt.
Our birds all free range during the day.

We are also going to strip out the house, seal up nooks and crannies , and sand it and prime/paint it.

I’m going to replace the roost bars with new primed and painted ones too. And I ordered this cool gizmo to attach the new bars: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1659032381/
It’s a red mite roost bar trap. I figured it can’t hurt to try it!

 

[K2goatsandducks]

Compost Pile Mites. Harmless. They can be either brown, or white in color.
View attachment 3737630

Thank you! That looks a lot like what I’m seeing. I sure hope that’s what they are. I am going to be shocked if the red roost mites are multiplying so rapidly in the compost!
I’m going to do the massive clean out just in case, but keep my fingers crossed that it’s more preventative.

 

[Tyrannosaurus_Pecks89]

Thank you so much!
We are going to strip the run down to the dirt as soon as we get a break in the rain. I bought several canisters of permethrin powder to sprinkle throughout. I plan on leaving just dirt for a while and continuing to powder the run before adding shavings.
I should have mentioned that I have ducks and geese as well, so they sleep in the run. I haven’t seen signs of a roost might infestation in the wood run supports; just the creepy crawlies living in the poop and dirt.
Our birds all free range during the day.

We are also going to strip out the house, seal up nooks and crannies , and sand it and prime/paint it.

I’m going to replace the roost bars with new primed and painted ones too. And I ordered this cool gizmo to attach the new bars: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1659032381/
It’s a red mite roost bar trap. I figured it can’t hurt to try it!

Perfect! Bye bye buggies!