Wanted Please - Harrogate / York / Leeds area

[Emily and Nick]

Hi,

 

I've just discovered red mite in clumps at the end of the wooden roosting bars of the eglu. I think this might explain why one of my chickens is not herself at all, lethargic and not laying.

 

I know I can dust the chickens with the red mite powder, but how to I eradicate the red mite from the roosting bars? Other than a thorough clean.

Is there a spray I can get?

 

Thanks

Emily

[Egluntyne]

**RIP spray** has excellent write ups.

 

I'd order some plastic bars, and give the cube a good scrub with Poultry shield.

[Jools]

I don't have roosting bars, but I do have removable wooden perches in my wooden houses. I'm pretty liberal in my application of red mite powder (and have used Diatom in the past) as it's a well known red mite hot spot.

[Tiggy]

yuck! I hate mites, Ive used Johnsons mite spray & it seems to have kept them away, but I swopped my wooden bars for plastic ones a while ago & that makes life easier (still scrub them & use spray)

[shoura]

OOH I just did my whole house with RIP spray as the dogs and myself had brought mites into the house while attempting to eradicate the millions in the coop/run, but I didn't think of using the spray in the coops themselves! That sounds like a great idea as it is really effective stuff--kills any bug that lands on my carpets now, even moths/flies.

Still not sure what would be best product to use on the floor of the WIR itself---it is basically dry soil (used to be grass! ) with some aubiose which the chooks seem to like making into heaps rahter than having it spread out uniformly on the ground When I go into the run I see mites crawling on my shoes, so I know they are on/in the soil itself

[Chucky Mama]

I spritz the nooks and crannies of my Cube with RIP every week. Just a quick second or 2 just to be safe. I know that some people use Indorex too which is another household flea spray.

[Emily and Nick]

Great - thanks for all the tips!

 

So do the mite just live in the wood and not on the birds?

If I eradicate the mite from the eglu, the problem is solved, right? Or do I still need to keep using the powder as well?

 

Thanks!

[The Dogmother]

They generally only live in the housing but it's not unknown to find the odd one or two on birds as well. So always treat the birds at the same time.

 

If you have red mite in the chicken housing, then be careful not to transfer them into your own house as well - they are very hard to get rid of if you do.

[shoura]

I can't see how you can avoid transferring them into the house if you have a severe infestation---short of stripping off completely in the garden and showering with the hose-pipe before going back inside (and ditto for dogs!!) I can't see any alternative---the protective clothing (full body suit with hood, face mask, gloves, boots etc) might help but you would have to destroy it after every visit to the run!

(Just done my house with RIP spray )

[The Dogmother]

It sounds daft, but I'd recommend taking your clothes off and putting them straight into a hot wash before going indoors. A friend had them in her house (they are then classified as bed bugs) and had the devil of a job getting rid of them. They couldn't have any visitors and had the pest control firm round to fumigate the whole house twice.

[Jools]

Aren't red mite a different beast to bed bugs? I always thought they were host specifc.

 

I know the can get on you if you have a bad infestation and they can cause nasty skin irritations, but I didn't realise they were anything that a washing machine and a hot shower couldn't sort out.

[The Dogmother]

That was my understanding too, until recently

[Jools]

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

 

Bed Bugs are classified as Insects

 

 

And Red Mite as Arachnids (sorry to anyone with a spider phobia!)

 

[Redwing]

I got them in my sofa, not good! I had so many bites on me you could have played dot to dot at one point!

 

I have used the RIP spray to get rid of them

 

I always strip off the second I get in the house now and everything goes in the wash with my shoes being sprayed with poultry sheild and left outside the back door

[shoura]

I have sprayed the house as I said, but I keep finding them in my bed . I know it says on the RIP bottle not to spray bed-linen but spraying the mattress and the wooden base itself should be OK shouldn't it? Anyway,I'm going to do it...if it's OK to spray the dogs' beds it must be OK to spray your own....

I think I'm goign to have to have a few "chicken outfits" ie old T shirts and leggings which I will wear to visit the girls and put straight into the wash at the back door...

It's driving me nuts...

[The Dogmother]

Shoura, please be sure that the room you are spraying is well ventilated and that your bed is aired after spraying and before you get into it.

[shoura]

Yes don't worry, all precautions will be taken...I have a very large aquarium too so that has to be covered....it's a palaver!!

I think I'd better do my car too as the dogs seem to be a major vector for spreading them around...

[The Dogmother]

If you treat your dogs with Frontline Combo then it ought to help stop the bugs from breeding in your house.

[Jools]

There's an informative post on another forum on this subject which involves steam cleaning, corrugated cardboard and showering. If anyone wants the link, pm me and I'll oblige.

[Chucky Mama]

In order to avoid duplicating information and advise re Red Mite, please continue any Red Mite discussions HERE