Author Topic: wretched mites AGAIN! (Read 3514 times)

zeeteecee · « **on:** August 23, 2011, 10:02:26 pm »

briefly, got a small henshed infested with mites and is being removed and burned tomorrow but think my hubby has been visiting my larger henshed and could inadvertently have introduced them into there too! I will give the inside of the 'clean' shed another coat of creocote tomorrow, and also dust some diatom earth around the place, any other tips for eradicating any mites that may be there would be greatly accepted.

ALSO-we are moving an infested shed out, what should I do to the ground it was on? Will they have been living under it in the earth?

Will diatom earth and/or oxymite be of any use to treat the ground or should I weed wand it? I have a new plastic shed to put in its place to stop any other infestations in that flock.

Thanks for any thoughts.....
Z

jaykay · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2011, 10:15:37 pm »

I'd weed wand the ground.

To be truthful, where you have chooks you'll have red mites - all you can do is keep on top of the infestations and not assist them by using roofing felt etc to give them nice places to live!

I use Total Mite kill sprayed every week when i clean out and diatom powder then under the ends of the perches and in the nest boxes. This tends to keep them under control but doesn't eradicate then completely. The up side is that the hens can go back in the same evening.

The most effective thing I ever used was diesel (suspect 'real' creosote would be similar) but then the house had to be shut up and not used for weeks while the fumes evaporated.

zeeteecee · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2011, 10:30:34 pm »

thankyou!
I use the total control red mite concentrate when i clean out each week at the mo, but will invest in some more of the pink stuff! I will weedwand the ground then diatom it.
I have heard that creocote can be effective too, but i agree the proper creosote would be better.
Thankyou for the reality check re mites - yes, they'r always there but my idea of using plastic garden storage sheds for the small flock seems to be working so far.
Just have to keep em out of the big shed or it will be a nightmare to treat!!!

Z

Eggs, Chicks & Hens · « **Reply #3 on:** August 24, 2011, 11:54:42 am »

I bin using a receipe given to me on another forum, has worked wonders, ant seen a mite in weeks

15ml Citronella Oil
2 table spoons Methylated Sprits
1 Table spoon Washing up liquid
4 table spoons vinegar ( I used Cider vinegar cos I had it )
1 mug strong cold black tea

Top up to 2 litres & spray all over. Safr for use on chooks, place a dab under each wing

Realy does work & cheap too xx

northfifeduckling · « **Reply #4 on:** August 24, 2011, 01:30:58 pm »

I guess it is the Citronella that is the active ingredient - as it is also in insect repellents for humans and in anti-moscito candles.

Quote from: jaykay on August 23, 2011, 10:15:37 pm

and not assist them by using roofing felt etc to give them nice places to live!

what's the alternative if the roof is leaking??? I was just about to buy roofing felt for that purpose! Shall I just cover it with plastic instead? That won't be any better, surely! And no, I can't afford a new hen house ...

zeeteecee · « **Reply #5 on:** August 25, 2011, 08:08:25 am »

onduline roofing is my next job-as the roof on the shed is old old old!

norfolk newbies · « **Reply #6 on:** August 25, 2011, 03:03:42 pm »

Another thing I used to do ( less easy now as hens are in barns and roost all over the place including in top rafters) is to put thick globs vaseline around ends of perches ( my hen house perches were removable and sat in 'cups' but mites used to hide out in and under cup bits.) The mites come out of hiding places along perch at night - or not if they get stuck in the vaseline/ cheap pertoleum alternative. And it is quite satisfying scraping off the piles of stuck dead mites 6 days later.

This only works as an add on if you are managing rest of house (we use wand and dusting powder), and useful for 'hard to reach nooks and crannies' for those of us not able to get hold of creosote ;-).

Not so much of a problem with mites now, but for some reason scaley leg is much worse that at our old place, and with an increase in numbers (of hens) keeping on top of that is trickier.

TheCaptain · « **Reply #7 on:** August 25, 2011, 03:48:08 pm »

search for coroline roof sheets on Ebay - just got a load to do some hay storage areas - cracking stuff and pretty cheap (about £8 a sheet).

'corrugated_sheets' is the Ebay member I got them from, plus free delivery!

jaykay · « **Reply #8 on:** August 25, 2011, 07:12:15 pm »

Onduline or tin - it rains so much here we put tin over the existing wooden roofs - I've checked and it doesn't seem to harbour mites - maybe doesn't fit tight enough.

I have wooden tongue and groove sheds, so a nightmare full of cracks and crevices. One day I am going to gloss paint them inside, which is supposed to seal all the cracks and give the little blighters fewer places to hide. I suppose in the old days they'd have done it with limewash - how trendy would my chooks be then