Permethrine Resistant Pests

[TheBeardedNerd]

I've been looking into the use of Permethrine and have seen that pests can become resistant to Permethrine if used over a long period of time. What should you do to alternate treatments to prevent pests from becoming resistant to Permethrine? I've dusted my coop with DE before in the past and it didn't appear to help with pests at all, and caused some of the birds to develop respiratory issues and dry skin.

 

[Folly's place]

Concentrate on spraying the birds in their coop, and their coop. Trying to spray the entire yard will kill so many beneficials, and not get the mites, it's a very bad idea.
Using the permethrin at the right concentration, and repeating in two weeks or so, will do the job.
Wild wrens and sparrows, at least, carry the mites and lice, and free ranging chickens will pick up infestations sometimes. Plan to check at least some of your chickens, at night, with a flashlight, every week or three, so you can treat again if needed.
My big rooster is a mite magnet! I'll find critters on him sometimes, and nowhere else. Everyone still gets treated. We were at it last night!
Confining a home flock in a totally closed coop isn't something most of us will want to do, so dealing with mites, etc, is a trade-off we make.
Mary

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I've got some issues with scaly leg mites and possibly red chicken mites. It's been a very wet summer so far and fleas are also on the rise.

I haven't yet tried beneficial nematodes but that will definitely be my next step.

To prevent resistance one thing I do is NOT treat when it isn't needed or as some people like call it "preventative". I treat only as needed and it kills them dead every time (so far). You also need to make sure to treat again if it is recommended and WITHIN the correct time frame so that the life cycle is completely interrupted. Otherwise this is resistance in the making.

Scaly leg mite CANNOT be treated with permethrin. You can treat it by applying Crisco, vaseline, castor oil or other thick substance that will stick to the shank and suffocate them. Or they can be treated with Ivermectin. SLM are a systemic feeder and may never come to the surface to be treated by any dust/spray. Also they are microscopic so while you may see evidence of they were there you NEVER will see them with you naked eye. Ivermectin would not be my first choice for SLM but it is also effective against many worm species, other mites and lice.. so if ya got more than one issue might be worth hitting it once. It is not labeled for use in chickens and I believe would require some egg withdrawal time. But dosing information IS available.

Red mites must be treated in the environment since they live in cracks of wood and come out to feed on the chickens. (Though treating your chickens may be one of the ways to help accomplish that) I have seen them in my yard too... though my roosts are clear of the pest and eggs, my birds hang out under trees and shrubs all day! I haven't yet decided what to do in this regards.

Glad to see someone REALLY looking at not creating resistance. We need tools that work when needed.

ETA: I prefer spray over powder.

 

[Folly's place]

It's not about prevention with the insecticide, it's about being vigilant and treating infestations as they might arrive, for your flock.
Mary

 

[Kiki]

Yes, I am treating because the mites are actively present and I wanted to make sure that going forward I'm not building up resistances in these pests that will make it harder to deal with in the future.

Sounds like the next step is to try and suffocate these SLM's. If I don't get good results with Petroleum jelly I will try some ivermectin paste.




I am located in the Western North Carolina Appalachian's. I've only sprayed my coop down one time with permethrine in the past 5 years. This is the first year I've had issues like this with mites. Today I gave all of the birds a dip in the permethrine (I have about 30 chickens.) I'm going to be spraying the coop with it as well.

You need to re treat both birds and coop.
ONE treatment/spray will not rid the red mites.

You may kill most of the adults with that one treatment but that one treatment did nothing for all the babies that continue to hatch.
You have to kill the babies before they lay more eggs which is a never ending cycle, if that makes sense.

 

[TheBeardedNerd]

I used Gordon's Permethrine 10 from TSC and I followed the directions for the dosing. I don't remember the exact dosage though. I think it was 2 oz per gallon of water when spraying for an area with mites. When I sprayed I got everything in the coop as thoroughly coated as possible. Not retreating sounds like it was the issue.

This time I dipped all my birds in a permethrine dip. I followed the instructions for that which said 2 oz per gallon of water for dipping animals. I'm going to be following that up with a spraying of the coop and then in 2 weeks retreat with the same dosage on the dip and the spraying of the coop.

If I have issues resurge next year, I will probably alternate in Sevin so the bugs don't build a resistance to either treatment and I will rotate between the two whenever I notice an infestation.

I'm also going to coat the birds legs in Vaseline to see how that helps the SLM.

Using the Gordons 10 concentrate how often do you all spray both flock and coop for preventative maintenance.
I'm not seeing any on my 10 week old flock but I want to be pro active and prevent them from getting them in the first place.

As I have done and others in the thread have advocated, do not treat pests with chemicals preventatively, that's how they build an immunity to the chemicals. You have to wait until you start seeing signs of these pests being on your birds or in their coop before you start treatment, so that the pests are less likely to build an immunity. Keep in mind, this just isn't for the well being of your animals, but other farmers too.

If we create these chemical resistant pests, they go on to reproduce and eventually end up at other farms who then try to treat the pests in the same manner and it's ineffective.

You need to re treat both birds and coop.
ONE treatment/spray will not rid the red mites.

You may kill most of the adults with that one treatment but that one treatment did nothing for all the babies that continue to hatch.
You have to kill the babies before they lay more eggs which is a never ending cycle, if that makes sense.

Noted and will do. I'm positive I'm using the proper dosage and didn't retreat last year when I sprayed my coop, so I'm sure going forward with this information will make things easier!

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Yikes!!

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!
View attachment 1434432

I was wondering how to input that information! You read my mind I live in California about a mile from the beach and a mile from the hills and mountains in Santa Barbara. The temps are always mild, warm.

 

[Folly's place]

I've used ivermectin in the past, but not for several years. It's not approved for poultry in the USA, and I do try to 'do the right thing'.
Permethrin spray is working very well here for mites and lice, and would work for fleas too. I've never had to treat for leg mites, thankfully. With forty or more chickens, Ivermectin would look really good then.
Spinosad is another, very expensive, approved alternative drug for mites and lice. I'll consider it when and if permethrin fails here.
I only treat for parasites that are actually present!
Mary

 

[TheBeardedNerd]

Yes, I am treating because the mites are actively present and I wanted to make sure that going forward I'm not building up resistances in these pests that will make it harder to deal with in the future.

Sounds like the next step is to try and suffocate these SLM's. If I don't get good results with Petroleum jelly I will try some ivermectin paste.

Possibly?
How have you been using the permethrin?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!
View attachment 1433309



Mixing some of the powder into the oil/petroleum jelly can help.

I am located in the Western North Carolina Appalachian's. I've only sprayed my coop down one time with permethrine in the past 5 years. This is the first year I've had issues like this with mites. Today I gave all of the birds a dip in the permethrine (I have about 30 chickens.) I'm going to be spraying the coop with it as well.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Carbaryl is no longer approved for chickens here, so I'd avoid it.
Mary

Mary, as far as i'm aware of Sevin or Carbaryl has never been an approved treatment for chicken mites in this country although it is still an approved treatment in other countries.

There is a long list of treatments for chicken mites that have come and gone over the years all the way from Black Leaf 40 to Sevin. The same is true of worm medicine. Every time a treatment proves either safe or effective the Animal Rights organizations raise objections because in my opinion (with good evidence) these organizations would rather see every chicken on Earth die a painful and lingering death than see one chicken baked, boiled, broiled, fried, or fricasseed.