Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Goldfinger on July 30, 2011, 22:10
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On the clean out today, I've discovered my first red mite. :unsure:
Now then, I'd like some pointers on the 'routine' to the getting rid of them, (or just to control them).
I have them in the brick out-building in our back garden with their run built onto it.
I've got some poultry shield ready and have a pressure washer (where the evil/twisted emo-icon when you need one :tongue2: ).
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Hillfooters diatom slurry recipe http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=81422.04
If your hen house is all brick with nothing flamable you could give it a blast with a blow torch in the areas you know the red mites are hiding. Sure they won't survive that. Just be really carefull if you try this as I accept no responsibility for any accidents. :tongue2:
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Pressure washers are no good, they'll just wash the mites somewhere else. Steam cleaners are good as the mites won't survive such hot water. I've used my little steam cleaner on removable perches, but not actually on the henhouses.
I've also used a blow lamp, very carefully!
We've just had a bad infestation in our biggest house, which luckily was almost empty, so we moved the remaining girls out, and we bought some fumers, put 3 in there, taped all the vents over and set them off! I then sprayed poultryshield all over it, inside and out, but its still taped up. I'm going in to look tomorrow to see if I've got them all. then all the perches and what cracks I can reach, I'll coat with the slurry mix.
Richy Rich paints the ends of his perches with paraffin, but not a good idea to use the blow lamp afterwards! :lol: :lol:
Hope you get rid of them!