Question about mites and elector psp

[aart]

I believe the residual will be effective also, so the soaked cracks and crevices may still help in the long run.

@NHUH......
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[NHUH]

I believe the residual will be effective also, so the soaked cracks and crevices may still help in the long run.

@NHUH......
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1792058

I’m in SoCal and it has been rainy and cold (60s) for us. Never seen such a long spring. But starting today we are gonna get full sun and high 70s to 80s.

 

[NHUH]

Sooooo..... here is the update... we sprayed the elector three times but after 2 weeks there were still mites in areas the elector couldn’t reach. The mites also didn’t wonder out of the hiding spots since we housed our chickens somewhere else. It took 4-5 weeks until the coop was mite free. They eventually just died of starvation. Unfortunately the mites showed up in the temporary housing as well and we had mostly northern fowl mites but also some red mites. At that point I didn’t want this to go out of hand again and I opted for treating the chickens with ivermectin. (Drops onto neck skin). There are several posts about this here and I also researched in German forums. After a ton of research I felt very confident and I also ate the eggs. There is lots of controversial information about ivermectin but in the end you gotta make your own decisions and be ok with it. I haven’t seen a single mite in weeks now. Yay!

 

[azygous]

Congrats! You've conquered one of the most stubborn parasites known to humans. The only other type that I've heard that can be more resistant to eradication is poultry tics, behaving in an even more reclusive manner than the northern fowl mites. You practically need to burn down the premises to get to them.

One thing about Elector, sunlight quickly reduces its effectiveness. Treating areas that are in strong sunlight require more applications. Also, Elector needs to be mixed up fresh each time. Holding a ready-mixed batch longer than one day will cause it to break down.

Any biological control product has this limitation. Folks need to be aware.

 

[Folly's place]

Reinfestation happens too, thanks to those cute wild songbirds. It's an ongoing management story.
Ivermectin does work very well, and also stays in egg yolks very well. At least throw the eggs away for a week or ten days, to lower the amount in each egg.
Some individuals are allergic to it, and could have problems with very low doses. Encouraging parasite resistance to it is also an issue, so don't feed those eggs to your pets, for example.
Mary

 

[NHUH]

Congrats! You've conquered one of the most stubborn parasites known to humans. The only other type that I've heard that can be more resistant to eradication is poultry tics, behaving in an even more reclusive manner than the northern fowl mites. You practically need to burn down the premises to get to them.

One thing about Elector, sunlight quickly reduces its effectiveness. Treating areas that are in strong sunlight require more applications. Also, Elector needs to be mixed up fresh each time. Holding a ready-mixed batch longer than one day will cause it to break down.

Any biological control product has this limitation. Folks need to be aware.

Yes, I feel like a have a doctor in mites now . The coop is under a large oak tree and in constant shade. We retreated only with a fresh mixture. Aand we were thorough! I do believe if ones coop isn’t a slapped together play house with too many small pieces and the infestation isn’t insane yet and you keep your hens inside of the coop, it will work. Of course one should always treat hens as well. I treated my neighbors hens with elector, they were full of lice and it worked great. I also treated chicks that had lice from momma with just a dab under the wings. It worked and after a couple of days everyone was lice free.

 

[Sea Wolf]

Have never used Elector but, due to cost and the number of birds I have, I buy 10% or 30% permethrin, dilute it properly and all the birds get a dunking in a bucket. On a warm day of course. The first time I did this, I had an outbreak of mites. Mostly due, I think, to high humidity. When the birds were dry, there wasn't a mite on them anywhere. That same day, they were shut out of the coop. I took all the bedding out and disposed of it. Then sprayed the entire inside of the coop with it until all surfaces were wet. I made sure I also sprayed it extra well into every crack or split/gap in the wood I could see. When it was dry, the birds were allowed back in. There wasn't a mite or louse of any form seen for the rest of the year. I now do this once a year and all the birds have remained parasite free. I also spray around the outside perimeter of the run with it on the ground. It works for ants too.

 

[NHUH]

Have never used Elector but, due to cost and the number of birds I have, I buy 10% or 30% permethrin, dilute it properly and all the birds get a dunking in a bucket. On a warm day of course. The first time I did this, I had an outbreak of mites. Mostly due, I think, to high humidity. When the birds were dry, there wasn't a mite on them anywhere. That same day, they were shut out of the coop. I took all the bedding out and disposed of it. Then sprayed the entire inside of the coop with it until all surfaces were wet. I made sure I also sprayed it extra well into every crack or split/gap in the wood I could see. When it was dry, the birds were allowed back in. There wasn't a mite or louse of any form seen for the rest of the year. I now do this once a year and all the birds have remained parasite free. I also spray around the outside perimeter of the run with it on the ground. It works for ants too.

Yes I’ve read this works for people. But believe me this was severe and we had lots of spaces you can’t spray behind. We also have cats so I won’t touch permethrin.

 

[Sea Wolf]

Yup. Bad for cats if they get it on them.

 

[ams0732]

I appreciate the advise and it sounds like it’s a good and affordable option for some people. I do have cats and one in particular is very friendly with the chickens and inspects their coops regularly. Unfortunately permethrin is very toxic to cats. That’s why I opted for the elector psp.

NHUH I have a question. I also have cats and dogs and I just treated the coop and run with elector psp. It should be dry by now, did u have any problems with it and ur cats? I opted for this instead of permethrin as well cause of the cats. How long before you let the cats around the chickens? Thanks