MITES! They're biting me!

[Seaecho]

I've been being bitten at night, and can feel bugs crawling on me. Never had a problem until we got chickens. I've checked them for mites and can find nothing, although there is a dark colored Silkie, frizzles, and bantam cochins, so they have a LOT of feathers. I'm about to lose my mind! I have bumps on me (at least a dozen) that itch like crazy. I see no evidence of bed bugs, and wonder if it is, in fact, mites. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[coach723]

It does sound more like bed bugs since it's happening at night. Some mites only feed at night, but unless you are sleeping in the coop with the chickens, that's probably not it. Other mites would bother you all day too.
There are bed bug traps that can be put out to determine if that's what you have, and here are a couple sites (there are more) that tell how to look for them, they can be hard to find.
https://www.domyown.com/how-to-check-for-bed-bugs-a-450.html
https://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugs101/how-do-i-know-i-have-bed-bugs

 

[Seaecho]

OMG, I've heard such horror stories about how expensive it is to treat for bed bugs, and then they end up coming right back again! Thank you, coach, for the links! I sure hope this isn't the problem, but I have to get on it right away so they don't get worse.

 

[coach723]

I hope it's not the problem either, but hopefully you can get to the bottom of it.

 

[sumi]

If the chickens have mites and you've been around them and handled them, there is a chance those mites got onto you and are now biting you. I've had it happen a time or two. VERY situation.

For the bites, ammonia and some other home remedies suggested here: https://www.sufficientself.com/threads/chiggers-turkey-mites.15389/

For your clothes, bedlinen, etc. Get a nice big container of Sevin dust (carbaryl) and add a scoop to your laundry each load. It works just as well as dry and it will take care of any bugs in your linen, etc.

 

[Seaecho]

Well they only bite me in the middle of the night never in the daytime. I've been researching it off and on all day. Driving me crazy, because I can't pin down what it is. We had a rat get into the house recently (is now dead) so it could even be rodent mites! There are over 46,000 different types!

Sumi, how long did the mites bite you? Did they go away by themselves? I read that if they don't have a chicken, they will bite a human, but that is not their natural host, so will eventually die, and not be able to reproduce. I just need to identify what the bugs ARE at this point so I know if they are going to try to stick around! Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[dawg53]

Well they only bite me in the middle of the night never in the daytime. I've been researching it off and on all day. Driving me crazy, because I can't pin down what it is. We had a rat get into the house recently (is now dead) so it could even be rodent mites! There are over 46,000 different types!

Sumi, how long did the mites bite you? Did they go away by themselves? I read that if they don't have a chicken, they will bite a human, but that is not their natural host, so will eventually die, and not be able to reproduce. I just need to identify what the bugs ARE at this point so I know if they are going to try to stick around! Thanks for the suggestions!

Chicken mites arnt invisible. Have you seen them crawling on you at night or seen them biting you? They look like black pepper.
You can see bed bugs as well. OR you might have a bad case of nerves!

 

[Seaecho]

I just took a nap, due to very little sleep last night, due to the itching and the creepy crawlies. No itching or feeling of something crawling on me at all. I also read that bed bugs are most active around 3-5am. Well, I woke up itching at 5;30am today! So I have a feeling it might well be bed bugs. No, I haven't seen them crawling on me. And in the middle of the night, I'm too sleepy to turn on the light to try to see one. Haven't seen a single one yet. I've had bad anxiety for a number of years, and take extended release meds for it. But we're talking about nearly 25 years of anxiety, and this is the first time I've felt like I have bugs on me! Oh, and the bumps are proof that there is SOMETHING biting me.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Well they only bite me in the middle of the night never in the daytime. I've been researching it off and on all day. Driving me crazy, because I can't pin down what it is. We had a rat get into the house recently (is now dead) so it could even be rodent mites! There are over 46,000 different types!

Sumi, how long did the mites bite you? Did they go away by themselves? I read that if they don't have a chicken, they will bite a human, but that is not their natural host, so will eventually die, and not be able to reproduce. I just need to identify what the bugs ARE at this point so I know if they are going to try to stick around! Thanks for the suggestions!

I had a problem with rat mites once when I had rats at my house. They can only survive off the rat host for three weeks, but in the meantime they will bite everything else! I was bitten severely and so were my dogs!

 

[Seaecho]

Well, it would be nice if that was the case, surfer! I'd be rid of them in 3 weeks!