Northern Red Mite Issue. Nothing works

[Lillith37]

Aka NASTY

PTSD-inducing

 

[Samsg1971]

I don't introduce birds from other peoples backyard flocks anymore after battling a bad case of mites 2 years ago.Lessons learned the hard way are the lessons we don't forget

Agreed! I made that mistake too. Not sure if that’s where the mites came from or the rats and mice we have hanging around but I totally agree!

 

[BDutch]

I thought this was about red bird mites. The Northern bird mite is black-brown in color and difficult to see with the naked eye.
They are usually around the tail/cloaca of a chicken. Entire nests can form there. Just like red lice or red mites, they are difficult to combat.

I have no experience with the Northern ones. What I wrote were recommendations for the red mites. You can see the adult mites clearly. After a meal they are red. If you crush them you get a blood spot.

 

[BDutch]

… I read somewhere that northern fowl mite can only live for four weeks ish without hens, I’d give it longer though.
Red mites aren’t the same as northern fowl mites, for red mites I think you need a flame thrower.
Hugz

The red mites die after a few weeks too. But the eggs survive a very long time. That is the main reason they are so hard to beat.

You need to kill the adult mites to stop the multiplying and make sure that the tiny creatures that come out of the eggs do not grow up to adulthood. They won’t hatch in cold . They do in spring, summer and autumn with the right temp and enough humidity.

 

[BDutch]

They can survive extreme temperatures and go a long time without a blood meal.

Adult red mite die with temps over +50°C. And they die too when it freezes.

From google search: At temperatures of -20°C and +45°C, not only do the red mites die, but the other stages, including the eggs, also dry out (but not immediate).

Agreed! I made that mistake too. Not sure if that’s where the mites came from or the rats and mice we have hanging around but I totally agree!

Songbirds can transmit red mites too.

 

[Loving my girls]

Adult red mite die with temps over +50°C. And they die too when it freezes.

From google search: At temperatures of -20°C and +45°C, not only do the red mites die, but the other stages, including the eggs, also dry out (but not immediate).


Songbirds can transmit red mites too.

Oh great ! Our minimum temperature is -2 and max 41 and we have masses of birds many of which make a heck of a noise so, we are well and truely stuffed

 

[BDutch]

The temps in my country are horrid for red mite too. The coldest it ever gets is about -15 C and 38 C is the hottest it ever got. Add a humid climate and you understand the Netherlands is perfect for the eggs to survive all year round and the adult red mites thrive from spring till autumn.in a chicken coop .

 

[Lillith37]

The red mites die after a few weeks too. But the eggs survive a very long time. That is the main reason they are so hard to beat.

All the literature I have read suggests that the actual adult mite can survive without a blood meal for as long as 5 months and potentially longer. They are like bedbugs.

This first book in this online directory “Parasiticide Screening” from 2019 says the adult mites can survive starvation for up to 34 weeks:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/dermanyssus-gallinae

Even Finecto’s website claims the adult red mite can survive years in a “latent condition” in unfavourable conditions like lack of host or cold temps.

https://finecto.com/en-gb/bird/red-mites-in-birds/

 

[Samsg1971]

I thought this was about red bird mites. The Northern bird mite is black-brown in color and difficult to see with the naked eye.
They are usually around the tail/cloaca of a chicken. Entire nests can form there. Just like red lice or red mites, they are difficult to combat.

I have no experience with the Northern ones. What I wrote were recommendations for the red mites. You can see the adult mites clearly. After a meal they are red. If you crush them you get a blood spot.

Hummm, I have the red mite, D. Gallinae confirmed by our vet. I spend hours crushing the little red bastards. They have ruined my life and chicken keeping experience. My husband and adults kids have told me to stop and give in. I feel so responsible for these loving chicken lives and want to help my birds overcome these little devils.

 

[Lillith37]

Hummm, I have the red mite, D. Gallinae confirmed by our vet. I spend hours crushing the little red bastards. They have ruined my life and chicken keeping experience. My husband and adults kids have told me to stop and give in. I feel so responsible for these loving chicken lives and want to help my birds overcome these little devils.

Follow BDutch’s advice. A multi-pronged consistent attack without excessive use of chemicals. Have you managed to get your silkies to roost?