[nerdle]

I don't think this is redmite but...   crawling through my hair and in my clothes driving me maaaaddd!!!
Spotlessly clean coop, hens sprayed with Frontline, all carpets professionally cleaned, new door mat (the one with all the hen poo) lino on the floor, shelves dusted(wiped with Mr Muscle), soft furnishings sprayed with insect spray, clothes boil washed.......   what more can I do?

Might have to move out.

Do people just keep buying new coir doormats or is ther a nifty way lf cleaning them?

xxxx

[snow white]

Once you have done all this you should not have the problem again as long as you keep on top of de-miting the chooks and coop.  they are little mites that are on the chickens and in their house.  Washing your hair normally kills them.  Makes me itch to think about it.  I sprayed the coop with a pigeon house mite killer then dusted with diatamatious earth.  Then I used Red Stop in their water to kill any tenacious ones.  Haven't had a problem since. 

[nerdle]

Thank you!.  This problem has popped up before but easily solved but this year its gone on for weeks and weeks.  I cleaned the coop out and found it dirty in the nooks and crannys - so my fault.

Ordered Amazon smoke bombs - will bomb (in the house) till they've gone.

xxx

[New shoot]

If they are in your hair, how about trying neem oil. Most big supermarkets carry it. 

I gave up on the coir door mat at the back door and now have one that looks like artificial grass.  It is stiff enough to clean shoes, but can be hosed down if it gets really dirty.

[nerdle]

That's good idea!!!

They are in my hair, socks, knickers and all other locations!!!  I have to endure it until I can have a bath and get into clean pyjamas and to bed.  If I come downstairs again I get contaminated - it's that bad
It's like living in a laundry as I wash clothes every day.  I just don't know where they are and how to get rid of them.

Out all day today so no prob till I get home then - bingo - I can feel them within 20 mins.

OMG!!!

[grinling]

Please use products suitable for hens rather than small pet products. fipronil is banned for poultry as it contaminates the eggs.

[nerdle]

My vet is really happy with Frontline for my hens...
No eggs now - so alright I hope.

[Featherstone]

There are lots of types of mites. I had issues in my house when I moved in and the chickens weren't to blame. Opening windows when possible and reducing the humidity in the house. I also set bug bombs of once a year. When I do the chickens clothes get washed straight away and I hit the shower. I still find mites in the house but odd ones are bearable 

Oh and if you have wooden coops creocote them, you can watch the mites crawl out of the crevices 

[nerdle]

Well I've gone as far as I can re cleaning so - bombs arrive tomorrow - then it's every night!

I think washing clothes increases humidity so I'm undoing my own work!

[grinling]

The hens in Holland have now been culled. Your vet should not be prescribing frontline when louse powder is the rec product. Red mite do not live on birds and diacotomous earth works on them. I used Hillfooter's receipe and have had no problems since

[New shoot]

It is not necessarily red mite though as these horrible little beasties aren't just creeping out at night.  They are also in Nerdle's house, so she can't really cover the place with louse powder or DE. 

Hillfooter was not adverse to using very occasional insecticide treatments on birds if needs must.  I think mites in your hair and your knickers constitutes a needs must situation   

[nerdle]

Well a few days on... and two heavy duty smoke bombs later and I've gone hyper sensitive to anything that crawls...

Yesterday I tried to do some work outside and had to carry tools in and out between rain squalls and then that unpleasant wind - on top of this problem led to a meltdown moment.  Sobbing on the phone to a local pest controller who sobered me up big time with his suggestion...

£70 to come out and identify problem.  £1800 (yes that's what he said) to heat the house up to 78 degrees for 2/3 hours that kills everything dead for sure.

Today I'm not suffering too much  - could be the darkest hour was before dawn (I hope) but could be the bombs took a day or two to work. 

There is still more I could do - cover sofa with plastic sheets, vacuum everything a lot every day, no hens in house (unheard of)...

Lets see, fingers and chicken legs crossed. xxxx

[New shoot]

Today I'm not suffering too much  - could be the darkest hour was before dawn (I hope) but could be the bombs took a day or two to work. 

I hope you are turning a corner Nerdle.  Something like this can really get you down and its horrible feeling you are under siege in your own home 

Fingers crossed here as well x

[snowdrops]

For me it would definitely be no chickens in the house, that has no appeal to me whatsoever after seeing the mess they made in my garden when we kept them. Plus I've still got my mother's two cats that I now think I'm allergic too

[nerdle]

Thank you guys (and I MUST catch up with Foghorn)!!!  There is always an upside - just made a friend laugh with tears talking about being 'smote' and having the biblical pestilence!!!


Just bought one of these sexy items (see photo)....