Author Topic: Defeating Red Spider Mite. (Read 4785 times)

PetiteGalette · « **on:** December 28, 2011, 06:57:54 pm »

Many people advocate using chemicals to eliminate red spider mite but we use steam.
Years ago, when I was in the USA I met a guy who used a steam cleaner on his houses twice a year to thoroughly disinfect them. He cleaned out all the grot and then blasted the house, inside and out, with hot steam. I was amazed as the steam came out through all the nooks, crannies and crevices................... Nothing survives the boiling steam and it doesn't soak the wood.
When I started to keep my own feathered friends I bought (cheaply from ebay) a small domestic steam cleaner which heats up in 15 minutes and I use that to blast everywhere inside and outside the houses and we've never had a R.S.M. problem.
I unknowingly bought some pullets with lice last year (common problem over here in France that's why we always isolate/quarantine new arrivals) and, after clearing the problem with Harkamectin, that housing was also steam blasted with no recurrence of the problem wth the pullets.
Just a suggestion if you have a recurring problem with the wretched things.......................

deepinthewoods · « **Reply #1 on:** December 28, 2011, 07:03:47 pm »

thats excellent. ta

Dizzycow · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2011, 07:19:38 pm »

When I clean my hen house I pressure hose it, then use a weed wand to blast the nooks and crannies, which obviously produces steam. My mite problem has almost been eliminated, so I'm with you on that.

daddymatty82 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2011, 08:12:45 pm »

steam and diatom works great diatom sticks to the damp wood and is long lasting. all good. as diatom is a natural product and not a chemical its great on red mite

chrismahon · « **Reply #4 on:** December 29, 2011, 08:59:39 am »

What really good idea PG. Not sure how the exterior paint would react though. A blowtorch was used in extreme cases -before you could buy steamers. We are in the process of treating all the coops we are taking to France with 50:50 creosote and paraffin on the inside. Needs 3 days to 2 weeks to dry before chickens go back though. Our problem is we haven't got electricity in the Orchard and have no working space at the house. Will look to see if our generator would power a steamer. We have a Karcher, but it doesn't flush all the eggs out of the weatherboarding grooves. Sounds like a steamer would be a lot less messy.

Chemicals we have used are Nettex Total Mite kill -kills mite not eggs, Smite -flushes out the eggs but just makes mite angry, Elector biocide -only works alternate years as the mite evolve immunity, Creosote -kills everything dead, but needs a spare coop while it drys. Smite followed by Nettex is a good combination.

PetiteGalette · « **Reply #5 on:** December 29, 2011, 01:40:49 pm »

Hi Chrismahon,
The spec on the compact steamer we bought is as follows;-

Dual power element
2000w for heat-up
1200w power in use
1litre water capacity
Fast heat-up time - 3 mins
20 minutes continuous steam time
Steam temperature (at jet nozzle) 115oC
Kills bacteria and neutralises allergens
Lightweight and compact
Shoulder strap for easy carrying

You could always heat it up in the house and carry it down to the orchard and plug into your generator. If you have any friends nearby who have a compact steamer perhaps you could borrow one and try it out?

Mine has been used successfully by friends who had a dog flea problem in their house.................. They were so desperate because their dog had become allergic to the flea bites that they steamed everything, furniture rugs, curtains, soft furnishings, skirting boards, varnished wooden floorboards........... (no, not the dog!) It worked with no damage.............

chrismahon · « **Reply #6 on:** December 29, 2011, 02:26:40 pm »

Thanks PetiteGalette. Looked at steamers and there is very little mid range and I wasn't sure how long a job it was going to be. We've got two Honda EU2.0's with a coupling kit, so It will deliver 3.6KW continuous. Bought the first for the Orchard as the old one was too heavy, then the coupler and the second for France, so I can arc weld anywhere. Heating it up first in the house is the cheapest option. Can you tell me the manufacturer and model -PM if you like.

PetiteGalette · « **Reply #7 on:** December 30, 2011, 12:34:25 pm »

Hi Chrismahon,
It's a Morphy Richards Compact Grimebuster, model no:70451. It cost £26.01 + £6.00 UK postage to mother-in-law from eBay.uk.

chrismahon · « **Reply #8 on:** December 30, 2011, 07:11:56 pm »

Thanks PetiteGallette. Have ordered a Morphy 70455. Later model but now almost obsolete -reconditioned, so a guarantee return factory repair for £30 delivered. Will arrive late next week. Looked at Karchers - far too expensive and technical spec too brief. Will have a trial in a converted shed when we've got it. We spent £90 on anti-mite chemicals last year. Should do a reasonable job on our hall tiles as well. Then as Daddymatty suggests we will put down some diatom, expensive though it is.

Dizzycow · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2011, 01:59:52 pm »

I've just hosed down the coop, weed-wanded it, chucked diatom all over the place and will sprinkle the chickens tonight. I stink of poo so am off for a shower. It's a glamorous life.

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2011, 02:24:48 pm »

I used the pink nettex stuff when we had our one and only redmite hit. That was 2 years ago I think but it worked really quickly, very pleased

chrismahon · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2011, 05:25:29 pm »

Hi Plumseverywhere. Ours were the same the first year, one bottle of pink premix in one coop and that was it. Second year we used Elector biocide once in all the coops, which lasted the whole year. Last year the biocide didn't work at all, as Defra vet said it wouldn't -evolved immunity hadn't they. We were buying Nettex concentrate (which annoyingly isn't coloured pink) and Smite, two bottles of each = £90! Seemed to be cleaning out and spraying for a whole day every week. This year, which will probably be even worse than last because of the warm Winter, we will have 6 coops creosoted and only 3 to treat, which hopefully the biocide will do again, but will try the new steamer first that PetiteGalette suggested. I don't like using chemicals.