Tiny insects in my bag of pine shavings...?

[TammyTX]

Anyone know what these tiny bugs are? They are in a unused bag that I opened for my sick limping chicky.

The best way to describe them is like a very tiny gnat w/o wings.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Dunno. Termites. May want to collect some and take them to your local county extension office to find out. We have a severe problem here in NC with a pine beetle that is killing pine trees. Don't know if you have it out there.

 

[TammyTX]

...not termites.

I live in Bastrop County near an area called the "Lost Pines" and the trees are being killed by that dang beetle. It is so sad!

Between those beetles and Oak Wilt we aren't going to have any trees left in Central Texas!!

.....except mesquites!

 

[CMV]

If it's what I think it is, it's mites of some variety. My guinea pig as a kid used to get them. Are they tiny, tiny? White? Appear to jump around? If so, mites. I mix my pine shavings with DE to prevent them from getting on my chickens. I don't know if they'd bother the chickens, but they bothered my guinea pig as a kid, so I err on the side of caution.

 

[TammyTX]

Very tiny but not white and they crawl kind of an ant, but I haven't seen them jump. They are so very small that you can't make out their features.

I don't see any on the bird....yet....

 

[CMV]

Yeah, sounds like mites. I can't tell you anything more than that. Sorry.