Tiny Bugs Everywhere!

[TanyaB]

Permethrin was the best purchase I have ever made. (Besides my farm)

I hope I can say the same shortly.
I wish I could use it at my house, however, we have cats and therefore cannot use it there. I currently use Home Defense at our house.

 

[featherhead007]

I hope I can say the same shortly.
I wish I could use it at my house, however, we have cats and therefore cannot use it there. I currently use Home Defense at our house.

Tanya, If you could find some Avon Skin so Soft, where you live, It works great for getting rid of fleas and other pests in the home. (And can be put directly on your cats) Just FYI

 

[cmom]

Thank you for the reply! I ordered the permethrin over the weekend and should get it today. I guess I know what I am doing tonight! The container they are on is actually a cat littler container washed out containing sunflower seeds. They are not in the bucket but all over the outside! I did add straw to the outside runs about two weeks ago but inside I use pine shavings. Not sure if I can get mites from the pine shavings, but I suppose it is possible they moved inside from the straw in the runs. I contemplated talking to our vet but figured I would give the permethrin a try first. I have never seen anything like this before. I have the creepy crawlies constantly now!

I use permethrin. Check the birds at night after they roost. I wear a headlamp so I have both of my hands free to check over the birds. Some mites only feed on the birds at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

One quick question for you - when you had an issue, did you take out all bedding and leave bedding out through the second treatment?

So I was dealing mainly with northern fowl mites, which stick on chickens rather than living in the coop itself. So I only treated the coop once and left all the new bedding in after the initial treatment, but I did re-treat the chickens with powder permethrin.

Since I don't know what type of mites you're dealing with (from the photos they're clearly living in the environment) I would plan on re-treating the coop anywhere from 5 to 10 days, and burn or otherwise bag up and dispose of the bedding when re-treating the coop. I'd also consider getting new bedding material since it sounds like the bedding you just used is the source of the mites.

Wow Rose, As an exterminator, YOU ARE HIRED!

I was very itchy for weeks - it was bad enough that I was convinced we had bedbugs. You bet I made sure to get rid of those bloodsuckers inside the house ASAP!

 

[cmom]

Permethrin also is a good control for flies. I had a lot of flies in the coops this summer and once I sprayed the coops for some mites which I think either wild birds or rats introduced, it also eliminated the flies. The bonus is there is no egg withdrawal period.

 

[cmom]

I use pine shavings in my coops. Repeated weekly thoroughly spraying every crack and crevice, everywhere in the coop are necessary because it does not kill the pests eggs, which also applies to Elector PSP as they state in their fact sheet for mites. I also use permethrin poultry dust in my nest boxes. Again, good luck...

 

[TanyaB]

So I was dealing mainly with northern fowl mites, which stick on chickens rather than living in the coop itself. So I only treated the coop once and left all the new bedding in after the initial treatment, but I did re-treat the chickens with powder permethrin.

Since I don't know what type of mites you're dealing with (from the photos they're clearly living in the environment) I would plan on re-treating the coop anywhere from 5 to 10 days, and burn or otherwise bag up and dispose of the bedding when re-treating the coop. I'd also consider getting new bedding material since it sounds like the bedding you just used is the source of the mites.



I was very itchy for weeks - it was bad enough that I was convinced we had bedbugs. You bet I made sure to get rid of those bloodsuckers inside the house ASAP!

I know - I have the creepy crawlies all the time now! No sign of anymore currently but I will for sure retreat in a week or so as they are definitely in the environment. We wondered if they were clover mites that began moving in when the weather got cold. I changed out bedding at the same time we had our first several nights of frost and just appeared in the thousands. Birds look great and healthy - no signs of anything. Either way - we figured we could play the guessing game all day as to what type and just need to get rid of them!

Permethrin also is a good control for flies. I had a lot of flies in the coops this summer and once I sprayed the coops for some mites which I think either wild birds or rats introduced, it also eliminated the flies. The bonus is there is no egg withdrawal period.

That is good to know for the flies. I may need to use this over the summer also! No signs of anymore but am treating again next week!

 

[TanyaB]

So I was dealing mainly with northern fowl mites, which stick on chickens rather than living in the coop itself. So I only treated the coop once and left all the new bedding in after the initial treatment, but I did re-treat the chickens with powder permethrin.

Since I don't know what type of mites you're dealing with (from the photos they're clearly living in the environment) I would plan on re-treating the coop anywhere from 5 to 10 days, and burn or otherwise bag up and dispose of the bedding when re-treating the coop. I'd also consider getting new bedding material since it sounds like the bedding you just used is the source of the mites.



I was very itchy for weeks - it was bad enough that I was convinced we had bedbugs. You bet I made sure to get rid of those bloodsuckers inside the house ASAP!

I still have the creepy crawlies even though we haven't seen any since we sprayed. Still no signs of anything on the birds. They are just as beautiful as before! I took these pictures the day I sprayed.
Kind of wondering if they are clover mites that moved in for the winter as it was also right after our first few days of frost. I know they don't bite but some people have allergic reactions. I guess it doesn't really matter as long as I get rid of them and the birds stay healthy.

 

[aart]

I was thinking maybe grain mites

Grain mites are white.
Don't think poultry or roost mites would congregate out in the open.
Probably harmless to chickens.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Kind of wondering if they are clover mites

Good question/thought. There are many many mites and I often see bright red ones.. not on my chickens or in my barn.. but out in the yard crawling on the hose and such. At first I panicked when I saw them. Now I worry less.. but I still smash/pop them given the chance.

Grain mites are white.

That's what I thought.. but since moving to another location (maybe 700 miles) even the bumble bees are different here.. and the darkling beetles and even the dandelions..

Then add in that darkling beetles are white when they molt and then get darker.. I figured anything is possible and there are probably or at least possibly more than one type of grain mite that I may not have seen yet.