Mites (pest) and using DE

[CrowHollowFarm]

I had the mites about 3 weeks ago, now not a mite one. Very diligent on checking for them after they snuck up on me the first time. I haven't added anything and what I described. I am not a scientist, veterinary, or biologists. I know what I did and I know that it worked. I was eat up with those mite. You couldn't see the chickens for them on there feathers. One got so anemic that I almost lost her. I tried poultry dust, dog dip, and a couple home remedies that didn't work. I know that it kills helpful insects and if they are in my coop, too bad stay out. That was the only place they could get in it. So I read all of the information I could find and this is the best solution I found. Ive been fortunate because this is the first time I have ever gotten them and have had chickens my entire life. So dispute away, but those are the facts. And my chickens are alive now and they were almost dead then.

 

[JaeG]

I ended up with mites all over a broody hen who was in a plastic dog kennel in my laundry. She was the one that alerted me to the awful infestation in my coop. The only thing I had on hand was DE. It made the horrid critters move away wherever I dusted, but it didn't kill them, and she still had some stuck on her face despite me trying to dust her carefully.

I got some Vetafarm Insect Liquidator (safe to use on delicate finch eggs and chicks and protects for up to 6 weeks) and sprayed her with that which fixed the problem. I tried spraying it directly on mites. It took less than 5 seconds for them to stop moving. A pity it's so expensive - I would've used it everywhere if I could've afforded to! Fly spray helped me kill off any lingering in my laundry - I had nightmares about my house being infested!

Then I had to tackle the main coop where I had DE in the bottom of my nestboxes - a deep bed of it. That DE was absolutely crawling with mites. I wish I'd taken a photo. It took me about 6 weeks to find something that worked for me. I nearly went crazy trying to find something that worked (with the very limited options in my country). Neem has been a God send for me.

That has been my experience and observations with using DE against mites.

 

[wleighton]

Hi all,

I have the same problem - been using DE in food, bedding, nesting boxes, coop walls and the run floor. Beached my coop this spring.

I've heard great things about peramethrin spray and dust but, is there any egg withdrawal period after using it?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

No, at least in my country there is currently no withdrawal period for permethrin spray or its organic red headed step-child, powdered marigold flowers.

For what its worth; ALL withdrawal recommendations are subject to political pressure. If anyone was so a-mind to do so and enough of you got behind it, you could convince government to ban breast feeding.