[zoggett]

Hi there we have got an infestation of red mite that is driving us bonkers.  WE seem to be winning the battle in the hen house and with the girls but I still keep finding them on my surfaces in the kitchen and on my expel air, just when we think they have gone they are back in force on the expelair today. Its got so bad I told hubby the girls would have to go but I really dont want to get rid of them cos they are pets. Please Help
Debbie

[joyfull]

not sure how they are getting in your house or your expelair, when I have had an infestation of redmites after cleaning out the coop I removed all my clothes as soon as I came in the house and bunged them into the washer, then ran starkers up stairs for a good scrub and some fresh closthes. Are you absolutely sure they are red mites and not red spider mites? or do you have a tree right next to your expelair? Red mites are only red after feeding and then they go back to being grey.
Also what are you treating your coops with (they do not live on the birds they only feed on them overnight)?

[Aunt Sally]

Make sure you don't have a birds nest in the roof.  Or a bird box near your expelair

[orchardlady]

zoggett. I' would very much encourage you to expand a little more for us on what you have been doing to destroy the mite. They are horrid for your birds as well as for you. I agree with what Joyful has mentioned about stripping and rushing to the bathroom for a shower. You can get on top of this situation and there is lot's and lot's of support here for you.

Orchardlady

[zoggett]

Hi there I think the infestation in the expelair came about because we had a wheelie bin underneath it that we put old bedding in which we now know waws infested.
We have emptied and power washed the bin with Jeyes fluid and that is ok now.
We have used a combination of poultry shield and diatom in the coup and have puffed under the girls wings with this and we do seem to be winning out there.
Hubby took expelair to bit tonight and thoroughly cleaned it with Jeyes and sprayed it with poultry shield.

Debbie

[Aunt Sally]

If you have them in your home you can use any permethrin spary to kill them.  It's a different use to treating a coop or live animals.

[zoggett]

Whats a pemethrin spray Aunt Sally?

[Aunt Sally]

have a google - there's loads