Emergency! Infestation, mites everywhere, including our house!!

[Sweetpeaswan]

The ones in the house do sound like bed bugs.....There are certain companies that can handle them, some of them use what looks like a fire
extinguisher, it creates cold and freezes them. some use sprays. They like to hide in the creases of your mattress and come out at night
to feed. Strip and wash as much as you can, and get some professional help. In the meanwhile I agree with the other posts about
using a poultry dust,. or theres a natural one available called poultry protector, it uses natural enzymes and may be more environmentaly
friendly.,good luck!

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

IMO I don't believe this to be bird mites, or anything to do with the chickens. It sounds more like body lice (human lice) or bedbugs judging by your poor hubby and that there are so many in the house.

 

[Oven Ready]

I think I'd be leaning towards the sofa as a possible infestation source. (Actually I'd be leaning well away from it, if you know what I mean

)
The fac tthat your DH is getting bitten suggests it is not a chicken bug that is biting him. Also if they are able to reproduce in your house then they must've found a host. If the host isn't a house chicken you're secretly hiding in the closet then it must be a human host and if it's a human host then they are human parasites, not chicken parasites.
Are you getting bitten as well ?

My advice regarding your chickens - Your chickens will get lice pretty much whatever you do or don't do. Wild birds leave lice everywhere and if they're quick enough they'll hop on to a passing chicken. The size of the chicken infestation is up to you, it's best to spray them with something every now and then to stop the infestation getting out of hand. If you prefer to use a natural method make sure it is working, don't just use it an assume it's worked.


Please let us know what the exterminators say

 

[kristenm1975]

Thank you everybody for all the great tips and advice. We had the exterminator out this afternoon and he could not have been nicer. I felt better as soon as he stepped in the front door.

If you live in the Seattle area, I recommend Green Choice. They sprayed using a derivative of chrysanthamum (sp?) flower so it's effective at killing the bugs but doesn't poison us or our chihuahua.

I was able to show him a live creepy-crawly so he could identify it and he said it's certainly a mite, likely a bird mite brought in on the eagle feathers I found on the beach two weeks ago. The timing would be about right for them to make it from the car to the house and to totally infiltrate.

It was $270 to spray the whole house, inside and out and he left us with 2/3 of a gallon more spray to apply ourselves. Super sweet.

We've gotten so freaked out over all this that I made the decision to go ahead and find homes for my chickens, being sure to clue them in to the fact that they are going to need to dust repeatedly to clear them of the lice or mites that they have. I do feel pretty confidant that what we have in the house didn't come from the chickens, but I just feel so badly about not catching on to the fact that they needed attention. I didn't understand why they were losing so many feathers and not getting fatter. This is just one of those times when I needed to admit I was not doing a good job and they deserved better. The family that took them has five acres and a protective non-agressive dog to keep them safe. It was the right decision for me.

So, as it stands now, I am also covered in bites and doing a little itchy-dance as I type and we are contemplating going to a motel for the next few nights as the exterminator guy said that the mites will be more active for the next nights as they have been rousted out of their hiding places. Just trying to figure out how to go somewhere without bringing our little friends along. Rather challanging.

Thanks so much for all the support! Hope this is helpful to people so no one else has to go through it! Lessons learned:

1. If you buy furniture used, steam the *^%# out of it BEFORE you bring it into your home (or just save up and buy new)
2. NEVER bring home feathers you pick up because they're pretty

3. Remember to marry a person who's sweeter than you so they get all the bites.

 

[Oven Ready]

Remember to marry a person who's sweeter than you so they get all the bites.

funny

I'm glad you got it sorted - I'm still itching.​

 

[justbugged]

I am glad that you got an answer. I have stop and think about all the feathers I have picked up over the years, and now I don't think that I will be doing that any more. Best wishes on finding a place to stay for a few days, and somehow not bringing along some little nasty bugs.

 

[PitterPatterPalace]

Kristen,
You should also treat your Chi with Frontline. If it is a bird mite then Frontline is the standard of care for your puppy. I've experienced it with a patient in my Derm office that have pets with this (confirmed by WSU) whose vet Rx'd Frontline. The patient was itchy too (like your hubby).

Oh, & I responded to (what I think is) your CL ad.

Best of luck.

 

[duckluck]

Wow...I've never even heard of something this bad except for human head lice. I hope it all works out. I sure do hate bugs.

 

[Kyhen]

Kristen, I'm so glad that you found out what was going on. Thank you for posting your experience so we can all learn from it. Have a fun mini vacation with your DH.

 

[EweSheep]

The thought of it makes me itch and thought I had the same thing...those invisible mites. And head lice, and fleas, oh my!

Glad you got it treated! Do you need to retreat again?

Green Choice? Where can I find that? It would be perfect for the coop! And my twice a year whole house cleanings! Wonder if they will kill dust mites too!