Mites, lice: treatment options?

[KansasKate]

A mild winter + a week of wet = creepy crawlies.
After our recent rains, I pulled out the chicken bedding and under the newspaper/brown paper in the roost, I found tiny dark grey bugs swarming around. Ick. My girls have shown some signs of feather loss. With the mud, no dust baths for a few days. Poor things.

Dark grey bugs under the bedding = chicken mites? So treat the coop?
Feather loss = lice? So treat the birds?

We have a honeybee keeper behind us, with the hive a stone's throw from our yard. I assume, then, Sevin dusting would be out of the question. I don't mind pulling out the big guns once in while, but I don't want to harm the local fauna too much (with the exception of the bad bad bugs). I need pollinators! And my garden is organic, so I need beneficial bugs. (We all do, for that matter).

I had some leftover hardcore bug spray, so I pulled out the bedding, sprayed the coop down, and placed pine shavings back in the nest box only. I left the roost floor bare. I dusted the roost floor and the roost bar itself with DE. I am hoping it is the right kind....I have heard a lot of conflicting info about what constitutes safe DE. This isn't going to be floating around, since it is in the roost (and it's humid out), so I think it'll be OK for now, at least.

QUESTIONS:
Has anyone had success treating their coops with Orange Guard? Or a similar "green" concoction?

Does anyone know of a pollinator-safe dip for the chickens? I don't mind dipping. I did a Malathion dip once and while I'd prefer never to use THAT stuff again, I find dipping to be a pretty easy enterprise compared to dusting.

Thoughts about "poultry dust"?

 

[KansasKate]

And another question, to add to it:
anyone tried Scalex bird spray (pyrethrin) for their poultry? Or another pyrethrin dip or spray?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Since bees can get mites, you might speak to you beekeeping neighbors about what products they would recommend that wouldn't harm the bees.

 

[California_chickie]

I've used DE (you want the FOOD GRADE kind, not the industrial) and had good results, it just takes a little bit of time to see it. If you just use it as maintenance every time you change your bedding in the nest boxes especially, it takes care of the problem. Just don't use it when it's windy!!! I've started covering my face, etc when I use it because it gets everywhere.
I also have been using this "Poultry Protector" spray that is supposedly all natural for my season cleaning- I don't use it directly on the birds (although instructions say you can) but to spray down the coops n brooders. It works pretty well.

 

[KansasKate]

Thanks! What's Poultry Protector got in it?

 

[KansasKate]

I think the mites that affect bees are different mites? The ones I'm talking about are chicken mites, I think.