BuryFCA1 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 A few weeks back I had a red mite problem in the coop and so gave the coop a good clean and am regularly using smite spray to keep the mite at bay. Every time I check the coop there are more (very minimal) signs of mite again. The girls are laying relatively well and look healthy but what causes the mite? I can nip it in the bud once and for all if I can get to the bottom of this Any help much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 They are endemic in wild life and love hiding in dark corners, especially in wood. No matter how careful you are, it's very likely you'll experience them from time to time. There are lots of tips on here about how to tackle them. Main thing is to break the egg laying cycle so it means deep cleaning with products like Nettex every 3-4 days for a few weeks. Don't rely on red mite powder - it smells nice but that's about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Nothing causes red mite per se. They get carried in on new hens, or dropped by wild birds, then when they find a potential home (your coop) and food source (your hens) they take up residence. Once you have identified that you have a red mite problem, then you need to keep on top of it with regular spraying (smite is fine), powdering (battles/buz busters etc) and bedding changes. They ought to be zapped eventually, but it's not a quick fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 but what causes the red mite The holy grail of chicken keeping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Gosh I had assumed they would disappear/hibernate in winter.I had them at end of summer and thought they had gone.I will have to have a good check tomorrow,weather permitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 They'll be out again as soon as it's warmer; they can live almost indefinitely (in a sort of suspended animation) without a blood feed. You need to have a regular and effective campaign against them, and not get complacent when you don't see any for a while. I scrub the housing etc with warm soapy water every week, then spray with Total Mite Kill Concentrate and powder with Buz Busters. They also have Diatom in their dustbath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
