TEENY BLACK BUG JUMPS LIKE FLEA

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Georgia Nana

Georgia Nana

Chirping
8 Years
Jul 13, 2011
156
6
93
Kathleen, Georgia
When I go to clean, gather eggs, anything inside the hen house, I get the tiniest of black flea shaped (looked under magnifier) bugs on me...especially in my hair! They don't bite, but they drive me crazy crawling around! I have to get DH to go through my head until he finds and removes it.
In many cases, when he opens his fingers to kill it, it jumps off and disappears.
The few that we have managed to kill are hard to kill, like a flea.
I put Eprinex on the hens and dusted the house with Sevin, but I can't tell any difference in the hen house.
When I pick up the hens to pet them, they don't get on me.
WHAT ARE THESE VARMITS??
HELP!
 
Sounds like fleas (and chickens can get fleas). Lice and mites don't jump, so I'd doubt those two.

If I were you, I'd completely clean out your coop and rake up the run. Scub down all coop surfaces with a bleach solution, rinse well, and dry thoroughly. Dust with DE and then put in whatever bedding you normally add and lightly dust the top of that with DE as well. Make sure you get all perches, too.

Give your chickens a thorough check, too. Be especially prudent while checking around their vents, under wings, and on combs/wattles where certain pests tend to gather. If you find anything on them, figure out what it is (photos help) and treat accordingly.

P.S. Look up "springtails"...did they look like that at all?
 
Last edited:
Well...I don't know what to say. Maybe springtail, but I think they aare too big. These things are about the size of a pin point. Just a black speck. I have a good camera, but I don't know if it is good enough to show anything but a speck.
According to my reasearch, there is no such thing as a flea that small!
 


I'd be willing to bet springtails at this point, then. They don't bite, aren't actually pests to us or chickens and come in a LOT of different species (some bigger/smaller than others). They love moisture, though, so check out cool moist areas in your run/coop and see if you find more of these critters there. If you do, then you just need to clean up and dry the areas out.
 
Thanks so much! I can't find ANY bugs on chickens or in coop...am mystified, but will go with springtails for now
Thanks again, and if ya'll think of anything else it could be, please let me know. BTW..we are in a drought, and everything is a dust bowl.
Will change the nest box hay tomorrow and see what I find!
 
Quote:
The sticktight flea is an occasional pest of dogs and cats, as well as of chickens and other birds. Poultry sometimes have clusters of these fleas around the eyes, comb, wattles, and other bare spots (Figure 1). These dark-brown fleas have their heads embedded in the host's flesh and cannot be brushed off. Sticktight fleas are commonly a problem on dogs, which have contact with barnyard fowl. Typically, on dogs and cats, the sticktight fleas will be found around the margin of the outer ear or occasionally between the toe pads. They have also been reported on horses, pigs and humans.

​
Figure 1.
Sticktight flea infested turkey head.

Credit:
P. E. Kaufman, University of Florida

[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]​
Click to expand...


Health Effects

While sticktight fleas are not known to transmit any diseases, their attachment can lead to secondary infection. Irritation produced by feeding, along with infection and the sheer numbers that may be present, can cause the eyes to swell shut, and the host can starve to death. Young animals succumb to anemia produced by the fleas' feeding.
Biology and Behavior

Before mating, both sexes hop around freely. However, upon fertilization the female attaches (by her mouthparts) to the host and spends the rest of her life in that position. Eggs are laid and fall to the ground where the developing larvae feed on organic debris, including the adult flea feces. After several weeks the larva spins a silken cocoon covered with dust and dirt in which it pupates. The adult may emerge within days or, under adverse environmental conditions, may remain quiescent within the cocoon for several weeks or months. The newly-emerged adult flea seeks a host, mates, and the females attach to the host to begin a new generation.
Appearance

Under magnification it is apparent that the sticktight flea lacks both the genal and pronotal combs (ctenidia) possessed by the cat flea (Figure 2). The sticktight flea is one of the smallest fleas found on domestic animals, usually measuring less than half the size of the cat flea.

​
Figure 2.
Sticktight flea.

Credit: P. E. Kaufman, University of Florida
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]​

Control

Sticktight fleas can be removed with tweezers by grasping and pulling firmly. An antibiotic ointment should be applied to the area to prevent infection. If fleas are too numerous to remove individually, a flea product registered for on-animal use should be applied according to label instructions. Care should be taken not to get any product into the animal's eyes. See ENY-205 Fleas, for additional information on fleas in general. After treatment, dead fleas may remain attached to the host. To avoid reinfestation, treat the premises to eliminate flea larval development. There are several insecticides registered for treatment of outdoor areas for fleas. Burning of infested organic material, such as animal bedding and poultry litter, has been recommended. Wire cages at least 3 ft. above the ground should be used to minimize chances of sticktight flea infestation.

Footnotes

1.
This document is ENY-244, one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 1991. Revised May 2009. Reviewed October 2015. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.
P. G. Koehler, professor; R. M. Pereira, research associate scientist; and P. E. Kaufman, assistant professor; Entomology and Nematology Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county's UF/IFAS Extension office.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension.​
Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg236
 
i have these exact bugs in my forest in/on/under rotting logs im better with insects than i am birds and i think they are springtails and they do not bother my chickens i suspect you have a damp cool place with an abundance of decomposing organic matter for them to feast on remove this and their numbers should decrease
sticktight fleas have shiny round hard bodies and arched backs these have dull black soft bodies and flat backs
 

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