[hillfooter]

The instructions which are supplied with Diatom say that it can be sprayed as a slurry and I read about a commercial organic poultry farmer who was trialing spraying a slurry and he reckoned that one application lasted one season. 

I was initially a litttle unsure that wetting it and then painting would leave a hard caked coating but it seems to dry out leaving a fairly soft layer of powder.  The action is to deny harbourages to them in which they can create breeding colonies hence you need to cover the nooks and crannies they inhabit.  Filling in the cracks is a similar strategy of harbourage denial but additionally Diatom is supposed to kill the mite which come ito contact by dehydration.

I haven't dusted chx with it as red mite don't live on chx and I reckon that dusting the nest boxes and sprinkling the dust bath will achieve a dusting effect for lice etc.

Regards

[IMOmimey]

  I have just found one of my coops to be badly infested with mites, but not red? Are these the 'northern mite' I have heard of?

 I have moved the birds out and into a new pen, scrubbed coop with Jeyes and letting it dry. I always use diatom liberally, and spray with poultry shield. Have not had this before...doesnt it make you itch. I stripped off!!! in front of the washing machine, put my clothes in, then leapt into the shower. I think I'll try this milbenx(sp) stuff.     

[Roughlee Handled]

I have just found one of my coops to be badly infested with mites, but not red? ................

When you say mites are you sure they are mites?  Do they leave a red (blood) mark when you squash them?

[Roughlee Handled]

northern mite and red mite may be the same thing but one an British name and one an American name. I am looking at info on t'internet.

[the ancient one]

According to another forum, and a close look at the enlarged photo this is also Milbenex http://www.solwayfeeders.com/productsdetail1.asp?STOCK_CODE=3253.

One query, do you use this Milbenex/Mite-ex as well as Poultry SHield or instead of?

[Roughlee Handled]

instead of.
My understanding of Poultry Shield is that it is a deturgent that takes the waxy coating off the mite and the mite dies.
If you use both you may end up washing milbenex away.

[Foxy]

THere is only one supplier of Milbenex in the UK and that is Bowden and Knight. as I mentioned before it is predominately a commercial product

[hillfooter]

I've never used Milbenex but I suspect it's not a detergent but a chemical spray.  You maybe still advised to use a detergent to clean off droppings etc BEFORE you use the Milbenex.  I haven't used Poultry Sheild either having used what comes to hand as a detergent spray such as washing up liquid and car shampoo.  For Red Mite it's a horible end but a lovely finish .  

Northern Fowl Mite is completely different from Red Mite and in many ways more serious and difficult to treat.  One essential difference is that it lives ON THE BIRD not in colonies in the house.  I suspect what you may have seen is the nymph stage of Red Mite which are a grey white colour and smaller so what you have uncovered is a recent hatch of red mite.  You migtht see some scally dandruff like whitish flecks which is the skins they shed as they grow from one stage to the final adult mite you may be more familiar with.  I believe they go through 4 stages after the egg stage, a larva with 6 legs, two nymph stages with 8 legs, and the final mature stage which can reproduce.  The whole cycle takes just 7 days.  Looks like they,ve found a crevice to breed ing where your diatom isn't reaching.  Try the slurry painting trick if you can find it.  Loosen a few boards.  I found them in my roof ridge but if you have felt that's a good breeding ground.

Regards

[Roughlee Handled]

I've never used Milbenex but I suspect it's not a detergent but a chemical spray.  You maybe still advised to use a detergent to clean off droppings etc BEFORE you use the Milbenex.  I haven't used Poultry Sheild either having used what comes to hand as a detergent spray such as washing up liquid and car shampoo.  For Red Mite it's a horible end but a lovely finish .  

Please reread Hillfooter my earlier post. I was saying that Poultry Shield was a detergent.

______________________________________________________

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/120/red-mite-and-northern-fowl-mite

http://www.organic-vet.reading.ac.uk/Poultryweb/disease/mites/mites.htm

[hillfooter]

Hi Roughley - I reread your disclaimer which seems to be relevant here as I wasn't disputing what you had said re Poultry Shield being a detergent.  I was just saying that even though Milbenex is used it might be advisable to use a detergent such as Poultry Shield before you spray Milbenex.

Regards

[IMOmimey]

"my" mites/lice, whatever, are teeny, sort of translucent grey/brown. Moved out my youngsters as soon as I saw them, but one baby poland died this afternoon It appears that the mites found a lovely home underneath the felting of the roof! There are zillions of little b....rs. I had a shower, and then found another one on my neck!! have had another shower, and still itch! Can they live for a while on me? in my hair?

I'm really upset about this, as you can imagine, and have worked out where/when It came into the flock.- a poland with crest mite, which i thought I had successfully dealt with, using Ivermectin before taking her out of the quarantine coop. Guess I'll NEVER fully get rid of this now

[poultrygeist]

The trick which Grannieannie told me is to paint bitumen around the inside edge of roofing felt, then they can't get in or out.
I've done this one mine since I had to make it water tight. A good 3 or 4" wide stripe of bitumen, then stuck down the felt. No gaps.

You could prob do this with them in situ and they can't escape.

Rob

[hillfooter]

Hello IMOmimey,

Don't PANIC.............. I don't have experience of Polands and so called Crest Mite.  If this is feather mite (which can affect any chicken) I'm sure it doesn't live in the house. I still think what you have seen is Red Mite nymphs.  They won't live on you for long though I know they give you that itchy feeling.  You should be able to find some adult Red Mite about.

When you have a massed colony like you describe spot treat it with an insecticide before you seal up the felt.  I can't guarentee you will find them easy to eradicate in such an inaccessible spot.  Your sealing will need to be very good.

Sorry to hear of your loss.  Do your chx have mite infesting them that you can see?
Regards

[IMOmimey]

Thanks for that....reassuring
Thats a mighty fine vorwerk you have there Hillfooter

[hillfooter]

That's Silvester.  He's got one rather short left wattle following a dispute with Sydney.  Don't name the hens though and try not to call them girls otherwise I'm sure we'd soon have the Beatrix Potter out.

Best wishes