The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: charliechuck on May 09, 2010, 10:27:34 am

Title: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: charliechuck on May 09, 2010, 10:27:34 am
Grrrrrrr, Mighty red mite problem, could do with advice on the very best mite [spray or dust], many thanx.  :chook:
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Rosemary on May 09, 2010, 09:13:09 pm
We've got one too - never had it before. Dismantling the house on Tuesday to pressure wash and spray with mite killer then dust with diatomous earth. Can't remember the name of teh stuff but will look later
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: valr on May 09, 2010, 09:26:51 pm
I don't have any in the house (it is plastic  ;)) but my chooks had a few and some lice (well one chook did) so I have treated the lot with louse/mite powder.

Did it tonight. They hate my guts now. :-\ I think I inhaled a ton of the stuff and was white head to foot......

It is meant to protect them for 6 weeks but I'll check them in a few days in case some of the wee buggers survived.

I read somewhere about taking a blowtorch to a wooden house to kill them?  :o I understand they can be quite tenacious. Good luck and let us know how you get on. :wave:
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Daisys Mum on May 09, 2010, 09:30:00 pm
Last time I had redmite infestation tried everything to get rid of it. In the end I moved the hens into a new house after spraying them with frontline and burnt the shed where it stood. Read somewhere that they can live without hens to live off for years.
It was a bit drastic but it was an old shed and it worked.
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: gavo on May 09, 2010, 09:47:52 pm
We used Rentokil wasp killer (a bit extreme but it well and truly killed them). To stop anything re-occurring we gave the poultry house a liberal sprinkling of diatomous earth. The house has been clear ever since (10 months so far).
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Rosemary on May 10, 2010, 08:05:18 pm
We've got Poultry Shield, diatomous earth and a pressure washer. I've always used powder regularly but the mites have the better of it this year.
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Sharondp on May 10, 2010, 08:19:47 pm
Once you've deloused, powdered, pressure washed, steam cleaned etc, when you're reconstructing the house, put vaseline around the end of each perch - stops the little buggers getting across the perch to the birds at night  ;)
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Rosemary on May 11, 2010, 07:34:41 am
Good idea, Sharondp. Will do that too.
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: kalsi4654 on May 11, 2010, 07:56:01 am
Love the vaseline idea!  :)

Anybody have an easy way to get rid of huge grey cobwebs in a wooden house?  :chook:
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Rosemary on May 11, 2010, 04:02:17 pm

Anybody have an easy way to get rid of huge grey cobwebs in a wooden house?  :chook:


I can't get rid of them in the house WE live in  ;D
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: doganjo on May 11, 2010, 04:41:51 pm
a feather duster with a long handle? ;) ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: Rosemary on May 11, 2010, 10:44:31 pm
Got one, but I think you have to get it out the cupboard for it to work.  ;D
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: doganjo on May 11, 2010, 11:27:23 pm
Do you?  Mine lives in the dark depths of a cupboard too.  Don't they have remote control? ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Grrrrrr RED MITE
Post by: terryh on May 12, 2010, 03:06:52 pm
for red mite use chlorocarb costs about £ 6.50