[katog]

We have a wooden hen house it has had no birds in it for 3 months and has been sprayed several times with smite and poultry shield yet still as soon as you put your hand inside you get lots of tiny pale insects crawling on you they don't fly or jump.
Do you know what they might be and how to deal with them?
Also in the houses there are lots of black insects on the bedding which fly a bit when disturbed - we clean them out regularly and have been spraying but they always come back.
Any help appreciated.

[Marches Farmer]

The tiny insects are red mite.  You will need to paint the inside of the house with creosote and leave it to dry out thoroughly (I leave for three weeks).  If it has a felt roof remove it (well away from all other housing as the red mite will drift in the slightest breeze and affect those).  Creosote the supports and replace the felt with Onduline.  Then change all your clothes and have a shower before you go near any other poultry and/or housing!

[landroverroy]

If these tiny pale creatures are moving about during the day they are actually a different mite to red mite, but equally annoying. You will find they are quite active on all surfaces while red might tend to congregate underneath and do not usually move much during, unless greatly disturbed.
 I find the best way (if you can't get proper creosote) is to spray all over with permethrin. You can buy it in liquid form as a woodworm killer, and I find it's more effective if diluted with oil (eg paraffin or diesel) rather than water.

[devonlady]

Or, if you are able to get to it with a steam cleaner, boil the buggers to death!!

[Marches Farmer]

If these tiny pale creatures are moving about during the day they are actually a different mite to red mite, but equally annoying. You will find they are quite active on all surfaces while red might tend to congregate underneath and do not usually move much during, unless greatly disturbed.

If the red mite haven't fed for months they will zip out and/or fall onto the first source of warmth they encounter, in the hope that they can grab one of the blood meals they need to develop into the next stage or lay eggs.  In this case the potential dinner is you.

[katog]

Thanks for all the advice, where do you source creosote?
Why is the smite not killing them?

[chrismahon]

Smite is a surface degreaser which takes the wax coat off red mite and allows them to dry out. It also washes eggs out of cracks. Could be these aren't red mite or they could have evolved immunity. Poultry Shield is pretty mild stuff on red mite and is usually ineffective. Try Nettex Total Mite Killer. Our preference is for a steamer though.


The alternative is to leave the coop uninhabited for at least 32 weeks. This extended period will starve red mite to death.


Creosote comes in large drums (30 litres) and is only meant to be sold for commercial use. We had to supply a holding number (from Defra) to buy it last time. It's nasty stuff to apply and made me rather ill last time it was used, hence preferring a steam cleaner.

[Marches Farmer]

Cockroaches are supposed to be the hardest thing on the planet to kill, but I disagree.  In the past red mite in one of our coops has survived power washing, heat gunning and submersion in the farm pond for three weeks.  Most agricultural merchants have creosote or creosote substitute.  Wear a breathing mask.

[Celli]

1 satchet of Ficam W will kill everything crawling in your coop, it must be used with great care though and any left over liquid disposed of responsibly.
It's available on eBay, I think it's around £10 per satchet which you dilute with water.

[Caroline1]

Yep, I have never had a major problem with red mite but this year they seem to have multiplied at a ridiculous speed. I went down the total kill mite treatment method although don't normally like using it too much. Think will need to invest in a steam cleaner.

[landroverroy]

If these tiny pale creatures are moving about during the day they are actually a different mite to red mite, but equally annoying. You will find they are quite active on all surfaces while red might tend to congregate underneath and do not usually move much during, unless greatly disturbed.

If the red mite haven't fed for months they will zip out and/or fall onto the first source of warmth they encounter, in the hope that they can grab one of the blood meals they need to develop into the next stage or lay eggs.  In this case the potential dinner is you.

I can assure you there are red mite and grey mite found in poultry houses and they are 2 distinct sorts.
Where red mite are present, along with birds for them to feed on, you will find the engorged red mites in clumps under perches etc. These, when well fed will not move during the day, unless disturbed. At the same time you will see the grey mites wandering about on any surface, and not necessarily anywhere near the perches. The grey mites are not blood suckers and appear to feed on debri, not on the birds themseves. They are like large dust mites. They have a horrible habit of crawling onto you if you touch surfaces where they are present and you can spend many a happy hour trying to get them off you.
 I am not disputing that red mite, when not fed will also appear grey. I am merely pointing out that grey ones active during the day are possibly another sort, and are easily controlled with permethrin.

[katog]

OK, thanks all, I've ordered Ficam W, DT,  permethrin and am looking at steam cleaners and blow torches - that ought to do them!

[twizzel]

If it is redmite... I would cut your losses and burn the house. Once you've got it you never get rid and a mild spell of weather will send them breeding like rabbits. Had it in a large chicken shed and despite treating every 5 days I couldn't get rid of it. Watching it burn was very satisfying! My OH built a new one for me and we painted it inside and out with creosote; 18months on it's still good as new.