Sevendust?

[purpletree23]

Sevin dust is fine to use. Just be safe and use sparingly and carefully. DE will help keep the mites away but will not work if you have an infestation like you mentioned. If you don't want to use Sevin get poultry and lice dust. It is made from an extract of a flower. Still poisonous to bees and still have to be safe with it but maybe this product will put your mind at ease.

Most people are sensible and have common sense and use products carefully. Others are not and that's why my snow blower has a sticker on it warning the user to NOT USE IT ON A ROOF. Just use your noggin.

P.S. A container of Sevin dust last me years!

 

[CHIC]

lol...

 

[threehorses]

Use permethrin dust - it's much more safe. It used to actually be made by grinding up flower petals; now they make it chemically.

Use that on the birds occassionally, too.

For mites, you have to paint the wood of the coops as that's where mites live and lay their eggs. You can use the goat-lice spray permethrin for that - it's commonly sold at feedstores and tsc.

 

[mikesbigroo]

never had a problem, worked well for me

 

[codybird]

Sevin dust is okay as long as you don't use too much.

I use Permethrin now.

 

[keystonepaul]

Threehorses, your statement on it being much more safe may be correct but there are still concerns:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified permethrin as a carcinogen because it causes lung tumors in female mice and liver tumors in mice of both sexes. Permethrin inhibits the activity of the immune system in laboratory tests, and also binds to the receptors for a male sex hormone. It causes chromosome aberrations in human and hamster cells.

Permethrin is toxic to honey bees and other beneficial insects, fish, aquatic insects, crayfish, and shrimp. For many species, concentrations of less than one part per billion are lethal. Permethrin causes deformities and other developmental problems in tadpoles, and reduces the number of oxygen-carrying cells in the blood of birds.

 

[codybird]

Sunshine causes cancer.

Eggs cause heart disease.

Vitamin A can be harmful to bones and skin.

I'm sorry. I apologize to the pygmies in South America.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
So what product do you recommend that has NO environmental or health impact and yet will cause immediate knock down of mites that will kill a bird?

Immediate is a key and important word. Because that's what it takes to kill mites and lice. So pls don't say DE. It doesn't apply.

Did you have some help for the poster?

Incidentally, the use of Sevin as a powder is being disallowed completely by the EPA. I still say permethrin is a better choice than one that is no longer being allowed:
http://www.epa.gov/EPA-PEST/2009/March/Day-18/p5695.htm

 

[keystonepaul]

My advice would be to use Sevin dust or permethrin in the short term to handle the problem and DE for the long term. just wanted to clarify your opinion with facts. Safer is a relative term and can be a bit misleading in this case. Peace and love keystonepaul

 

[M To The Maxx]

Quote:
Yes it can. I looked at it the other day and it says on the back: keep away from small children and animals.