HF
Do you use the frontline spray in the house as well, sorry I am confused now, I seem to have been unlucky with red mite surviving the winter itch itch itch 
The birds have been done with the frontline spot on as mentioned before I buy a dog phial and decant it to measure with a syringe ( as advised by a vet) this is the cheapest option, but with the house I change bedding regularly use red mite spray, powder and the birds seem clear.... so any suggestions
Thanks as always
Broody 
Sorry to confuse you but as advised above Frontline and ivomectin are for use on birds and kill lice, fleas and feather mites which live on the birds but RM colonise the house and only visit the chx at night for a couple of hours to feed. Although Frontline and Ivomecytin will kill them it only gets them a the feeding stage of their life cycle and will therefore take a long time to get rid of them. Using an insecticide like Ficam W or Milbenex which have a residual effect (long lasting) will keep you house clear for a year or more.
Poultry Shield is basically a detergent and all detergents have a disinfecting action and will kill bacteria and parasites which have a waxy coating like RM but they only work on CONTACT WHEN WET. Once they dry a new infestation can occur and they aren't very effective if at all on RM eggs so several applications are needed to zapp the adult and larva stages of their lifecycle so no further RM eggs get laid. One application won't get the dormant eggs. Cheap washing up liquid is also effect and probably as effective as PS at much reduced cost.
DE (diatomaceous earth) works by creating a dry and abrasive environment which RM can't live in so it's works in the house by harborage denial. It's as much use as dustbathing if dusted on the birds but there are concerns over it's safety dusted on so I only use it painted on perches and in corners and cracks where they colonise. Mix into a slurry made with Vanadine V18 disinfectant liquid which remains active even when exposed to organic dirt which neutralises caustic disinfectants. So painted on in a disinfectant base kills two birds with one stone so to speak.
Wooden houses when new don't harbour RM as the preservative used on the wood contains insecticides and anti-fungicides. These in the good old days before the EU regulations used to contain a weeak arsenic compound which remained active for upto 5+years or so and many new keepers never saw RM for this reason. These days because of the modern regulations which demand you use less active ingredients this effect is much reduced and the insecticides disipate quickly. Similarly with the old creosote which is now banned.
Plastic houses don't tend to harbour RM because they don't hold the moisture and humid conditions RM need though they still can colonise in seams. Plastic houses (where the plastic is hard and a smooth surface finish) is easy to clean and dosen't encourage RM. Plastic per se isn't a cure for RM it's the conditions it produces which deter RM. If you use plastic which has a rough surface which holds dirt and has scratches in it might almost be as bad as wood for RM. I'd be cautious about assuming recycled plastic will performas well as say and EGLU.
Mineral felt on roofs are classic places for red mite to colonise as they provide the ideal conditions for them to breed and once establish there they are unshiftable without striping the roof. Usually the problem doesn't show for a few years and until the preservative leaches out. I occassionally see posts from people who say they've never had RM in their felt roofs when they've only had them a couple of years but give it time.
HF
Best wishes
HF
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April 22, 2009, 17:57