Northern Red Mite Issue. Nothing works

[Samsg1971]

The simplest way to break the cycle is to abandon the coop 'temporarily' and keep the chickens somewhere else. Without a meal they all die .

We built a temporary coop on the opposite side of our yard, the only other location with room. We did that for two weeks but our neighbors complained about the noise and we had to put them back. At least during that time we caulked and painted the coop and of course treated it several times. Once with elector psp and once with permethrin. Oh my husband also torched it before painting. We still have red mites

 

[Lillith37]

The simplest way to break the cycle is to abandon the coop 'temporarily' and keep the chickens somewhere else. Without a meal they all die .

We built a temporary coop on the opposite side of our yard, the only other location with room. We did that for two weeks but our neighbors complained about the noise and we had to put them back. At least during that time we caulked and painted the coop and of course treated it several times. Once with elector psp and once with permethrin. Oh my husband also torched it before painting. We still have red mites

Temporarily in the case of Dermanyssus gallinae the red chicken mite means one year. These are the bed bugs of the bird world. Red mites can survive without a blood meal and in extreme temperatures for up to a year. I would suppose it varies but in the literature I have read, estimations have been up to one year. They will also travel in search of a blood meal and can reproduce on mammalian blood.

 

[BDutch]

Temporarily in the case of Dermanyssus gallinae the red chicken mite means one year. These are the bed bugs of the bird world. Red mites can survive without a blood meal and in extreme temperatures for up to a year. I would suppose it varies but in the literature I have read, estimations have been up to one year. They will also travel in search of a blood meal and can reproduce on mammalian blood.

You are right that you need a year to be sure if you don’t do a thorough cleaning and treating. But its not the red mites that survive. Its their eggs.

The red mites do travel in the night, but will avoid daylight. I know they jump to people and other mammals when you have a bad infestation. But the red mite can not reproduce with manmal blood.

This info is from Wageningen Universtity:
Cats that walk outside (and perhaps catch birds) can come into contact with bird mites and then bring them indoors. Bird mites have also been found on dogs, rats/mice and even on flies. Although they cannot survive there, they can get into your home
Source in Dutch: .https://www.wur.nl/nl/dossiers/vogelmijt-1/vogelmijt-en-de-mens.htm#

 

[Lillith37]

You are right that you need a year to be sure if you don’t do a thorough cleaning and treating. But its not the red mites that survive. Its their eggs.

The red mites do travel in the night, but will avoid daylight. I know they jump to people and other mammals when you have a bad infestation. But the red mite can not reproduce with manmal blood.

This info is from Wageningen Universtity:
Cats that walk outside (and perhaps catch birds) can come into contact with bird mites and then bring them indoors. Bird mites have also been found on dogs, rats/mice and even on flies. Although they cannot survive there, they can get into your home
Source in Dutch: .https://www.wur.nl/nl/dossiers/vogelmijt-1/vogelmijt-en-de-mens.htm#

I can’t understand Dutch unfortunately so I’m at a disadvantage but this was one of the English papers I’ve read that was published almost ten years ago now and details concern around host expansion.

https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-015-0768-7

There are a lot of anecdotal stories on the internet from people who suffer infestations of bird mites for months. I’m always curious as to whether the infestations are the “bird mite” or “tropical fowl mite” which is Ornithonyssus bursa, or the “red mite”, “red poultry mite”, “red roost mite”, “chicken mite” which is Dermanyssus gallinae.

The terms are often used interchangeably but I think the distinction is important because whilst the two have similarities there are also key differences, most notably the resilience and adaptability of D. gallinae.

 

[BDutch]

The terms are often used interchangeably but I think the distinction is important because whilst the two have similarities there are also key differences, most notably the resilience and adaptability of D. gallinae.

In the Netherlands we have only one type of red mites (DERMANYSSUS GALLINAE)

 

[McChooky]

I successfully got rid of mites by cleaning everything meticulously with vinegar and water and treating everything (including the chickens) with multiple products before AND after painting my run and coop (lime wash).I put new nest boxes in my run (after cleaning and treating the old nest boxes) Added new roosting bars painted with turpentine and Neem oil.I used Neem oil and water to dunk my chickens,permethrin, etc

Hi everyone, I need some help. I think I have northern red mite. There are mites that are whiteish color but when they feed they turn red. I've tried the following things.

1. Elector PSP. Only sprayed on vent. That's what I saw people on youtube say.
2. Pyrethrin bought from local store. Cleaned out the coop of old bedding. Washed and sprayed everywhere including coop, run, next boxes, wood cracks etc. Didn't work. I then thought maybe the store one wasn't good anymore and bought another brand on Amazon but it doesn't do anything to these mites.
3. Used DE and poultry dust everywhere as well. Didn't put a dent in them.
4. Put vaseline on the ends of perches. This sort of helped or maybe the other things helped too because it seems like less mites but still a lot of them. The mites couldn't move through the vaseline and grouped together. Then I torched them because they were still alive.
5. Finally applied ivermectin on the girls. 5 Drops each. Applied a sticky paste bought on amazon and they still couldn't get pass the paste. This time the mites grouped up and have a weird reddish color. Not the normal red that is from the blood of the chickens.

I've been dealing with these mites for about a month now. I don't know what else to do if the ivermectin doesn't work. I might try Elector PSP again by dipping the whole bird in a 5 gallon bucket and cleaning out the bedding again and spray with Elector PSP.

Another thought I had would be to drip the whole birds in something and moving them to another location for a few weeks while the mites died in the coop. But really rather not do that if possible.

I was given the impression a couple treatments was all mine needed when they got mites but after reading the merks vet manual I realized it can take 9 months to a year. I threw everything but the kitchen sink at the mites had finally got rid of them without burning my coop down.I dunked my chickens,sprayed and dusted them and finally had to give them all ivermectin to eradicate them

 

[McChooky]

Apparently some mites are harder to get rid of than others.Thank God for Ivermectin! Lesson learned !

 

[Lillith37]

Apparently some mites are harder to get rid of than others.Thank God for Ivermectin! Lesson learned !

Yes and I would say D. gallinae is the hardest.

Ornithonyssus sylviarum the Northern Fowl Mite is probably the simplest because the mite lives on the bird and not in the environment. So you can primarily treat the birds and clean the coop but you’re not repeatedly doing it for months on end.

 

[Lillith37]

I’ve been doing the exact same treatments plus added Bravecto Plus ( cat flea treatment) for 6 months now. They are impossible. Have you had any luck?

In my country Australia they have approved fluralaner (the active ingredient in Bravecto) for use in poultry specifically to treat red mites. It’s branded as Exzolt and it’s extremely effective and treats all ectoparasites. But it’s expensive and hard to get.

I stuck to ivermectin and deep cleaning for the chooks but I did get Bravecto for my dog because I was worried he might get mites in his ears when he rolled around on the grass outside.

 

[BDutch]

In the Netherlands the Ivermectin, Permethrin and other poisons are no longer allowed in the shops to sell for use with /on chickens. Because of the residues in meat and eggs.

In the egg industry moist poisons are forbidden to use unless the farmer waits 6 weeks before he can sell eggs (too expensive)
Some poisons are completely forbidden because of the build up resistance.
Nowadays the farmers spray DE before the new pullets get in the stables.

For BYC keepers the shops sell DE /DE spray in combination with herbal supplements to mix trough the feed and to put in the water. It makes the blood disgusting for the red mites.
Besides that I use ribbed cardboard/ paper from cookie packaging. Make rolls and attach them to the roosts.
And now in the nestbox too because I had an infestation in the nestboxes with chicks last year , and was too careful with the use of DE) .
The red mites like to hide in the paper rolls during the day. It’s a way to spot an infestation in an early stage and a way to trap some.