HEAVY RAIN = MITES...... TREATMENT ADVICE/COMMENTARY???

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I'm still trying to identify the mites I'm having to deal with. Our Dept of Ag guy says not bird mites but no clue what they are but they are mites. Feed store personnel say not the kind of bird mites they've seen, friends say the same. Tomorrow I drop of samples at the Dept of Health, although their Anthropologist is on vacation until next week.

I'm not finding any on my boots however when I leave a square dog bowl on the ground for about 2 - 3hrs, when I look under it the critters are all collected ONLY in the corners! Yesterday was horrible, today just a little but I spray with RAID & empty into a plastic container. This is what I'll continue to do until I know what they are & how to deal with them. Someone mentioned they're "dirt" mites and beneficial, don't like bugs but pacified with them leaving my girls alone & not biting me :)

Melissa - I feel your pain & frustration, compared to what you're having to go through, my problem is "nothing". Sorry for your loss :(

[B]casportpony[/B] said:
For severe infestations you can use as much as 38 ml to 198 ml per gallon on/in coops, nesting boxes, etc. (see below):
View attachment 1112335
Click to expand...

I was feeling horrible thinking I may have overdosed the girls & enclosure, thank you for the chart, I'm feeling better.
 
I had to laugh about going to the Ag agent. I work in the office next door to ours, what a bunch of ditz's. They brought a bug over to our office because they didn't know what it was--it was a cockroach! After 15 years of observation, the Ag Ext agent office is a way to get a friend or relative a job where they don't have to show up or do anything. They are closed every time it rains because, weather, you know. The state finally ordered them to clean out the offices because we had mice everywhere and all the other departments were complaining. They distribute chicks for the 4H kids--those poor chicks! Had to stay in the boxes for most of the week, no one cleaned the pasty butts. Instead, they said you must expect to lose some chicks. No biosecurity, kids coming in and cuddling chicks and then you'd find a stray out in the hall. I have nothing good to say about these people.
 
Yea, very disappointed that these "professionals" can't identify this bug! They're not bothering the girls, just me seeing them. I just dropped of another sample to the Dept of Health, the guy returns from vacation next week....Waiting.

I've decided not to respray with Permethrin since it didn't help. I have found less crawling on my boots when I go in. I have discovered these critters LOVE hiding under the dog dish, collect there between the hours of 11am - 2pm, they huddle in the corners, Raid kills them, Vinegar doesn't affect them they just crawl out of the liquid. Tomorrow/Fri will try alcohol, my experimenting with different killing agents, next/Sat will be Neem Oil, Sun will be that Orange Spray.

I will redust the girls on Sun with DE, I dusted them with Sevin last Sun, week after I'll use Poultry Dust.

I'm also thinking of removing/replacing the shaving but if it's Dirt Mites, I'm doing it for nothing. From the article I was provided, it's good to have just that they multiply fast & I could be going though an over population issue due to weather (wet & humid).
 
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So I have no mites. I'm assuming if you have them you know. What is the relation between mites and moisture/rain? We recently moved water hose inside the chicken run, so there's a portion of the ground that stays wet. Should I worry?
 
Lisa Wood said:
So I have no mites. I'm assuming if you have them you know. What is the relation between mites and moisture/rain? We recently moved water hose inside the chicken run, so there's a portion of the ground that stays wet. Should I worry?
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Not sure but I've NEVER had a mite problem until this Summer, we haven't had as much rain but they did show up when we had several days of wet weather, it's really been humid. You can check your birds; vent & under the wings, you'll see them IF you have them. Best to dust your chickens & repel any critters from sticking around. A lot easier than trying to rid yourself of them.

Thing is the "mites" I have discovered still have not be 100% identified, Dept of Ag said not bird mite but didn't know what, someone said possible "soil" mites, samples awaiting the Anthropologist at the Dept of Health. None on the birds, Permethrin hasn't killed them, shavings dusted with Poultry Dust & Sevin. They love to collect under the corners of the square feeder, only show up when I kick around the shavings, Raid kills them as does Alcohol, Vinegar doesn't....I spray under the dish.
 
We sprayed our girls with permethrin and the coop. Moved them into an a frame tractor in the yard. Left the coop go afew days then yesterday my husband cleaned out everything. All the bedding, layers of the run floor down to dirt abc sprayed again. I went out today and see tons of dead white mites on the linoleum we lined our coop with. Did not see any living ones. I need to go buy some shavings but I think we are almost ready to get it ready again. I want to spray the girls again tonight but I was out with them and did not see them consumed with grooming like they were and even the day after my drenching spray they were still picking so this is a good sign I think. If there are more eggs in the coop structure when would they hatch? Or do they only lay on the birds? I want to make sure if they do hatch the birds aren't there yet. I don't want to put them back too soon. The wren nest box was also removed from the side of the coop. I sprayed my couch with the solution as I think we inadvertently brought some in the house last week and found one or 2 on me there and have not since. I also treated my cat with his frontline as he is in and out but not sure if his ingredients are mite effective since there is no permethrin in it. Hope we got them!
 
Ok sounds good. I sprayed the coop afew times already but I will keep them out until this Friday then and spray intermittently in between. I have 3 bottles of permethrin cause ready for battle! Once we get the bedding in it will surely be hard to find them unless they are visible in the nest box. I just caught 5 out of 6 birds and sprayed them again. No sign of live bugs on them and none on me. I will catch the last one closer to dark. I keep telling my kids to use tea tree shampoo because school starts next week and I am having horrible flashbacks to when they brought lice home in early elementary. Trust no kid or bird right now!! Ha hope you stop seeing them. It took a few months to get rid of the lice. Just when you thought they were gone they were back. DE, chemicals, it did not matter. My daughter missed her preschool graduation day because we found them the day before. It was heart breaking.
 

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