[mwncigirl]

Hi, we have a red mite problem,    Someone mentioned to me that putting garlic in the water for the chooks helped. Does anyone have any experience of this? I thought garlic was bad for chickens?

[Henstock]

Garlic won't irradicate the red mite but it does help to ward them off the birds and it is good for them and they like it!!! 

[gillsta]

I have been using my horse garlic powder in the hens feed. More to help with the eau de chicken poop smell. It is also said to be a natural Antibiotic. 

[plumseverywhere]

Do you have to crush it into the water or just float a peeled clove?


I recently bought a weed wand and have taken great pleasure in zapping the life out of clumps of red mite in the sheds. Have used diatom but would be good to treat with garlic too...

[Fleecewife]

Weed wands are brilliant    Great sound effects 

[plumseverywhere]

Weed wands are brilliant    Great sound effects 

Absolutely!!! sort of "Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" and you hear little pops too    so far not managed to set the sheds on fire too - result!

[chrismahon]

Well Mwncigirl, you would still have the red mites but the chickens wouldn't be bothered by Vampires. Garlic is supposed to be good at warding off blood suckers but I doubt it will work on red mite! Garlic is supposed to be a bit of a health tonic but never tried it myself -fresh greens are far better. Think the 'someone' is 'pulling your leg'?

[mwncigirl]

Well, i'm gonna give it a try. Keep spraying the houses and doesn't seem to make any difference. Tempted to just burn the lot. (Houses, not chooks ) Tried flames, but still the little blighters crawl out from their hidy holes.... Getting fed up now and the ladies are suffering 

[Mammyshaz]

What are you spraying the house with?

Poultry shield is a REDMITE disinfectant, contact the manufacturer if you are using this. They may help with advice as they claim it is a REDMITE eliminator.

[mwncigirl]

Smite Professional, it guess its the same sort of stuff as Poultry Sheild. Bored with it now

[robbiegrant]

My wife soaks garlic in water until its well smelly, then strains it and puts it in a plant mister and sprays the plants. 

It works very well at upsetting/deterring insects and mites. 

The funniest thing is my friend and I used the sprayer when we where laying on and polishing plaster one day. 

My friend was constantly commenting on the braw smell of sausages my wife was cooking.   

Turns out it was the garlic smell was going into the plaster. 

Wall doesn't smell now its been sealed and painted. 

But i bet we dont get any infestations in that wall. 

The best of all the room is now our kitchen! 

Result! 

[Sbom]

You need to creosote the shed inside and out to get rid of red mite, stinky but essential 

[mwncigirl]

Haha Robbiegrant!!!


Can you still get that really smelly creosote? I thought you could only get a 'nicer' version these days?

[plumseverywhere]

I LOVE the smell of creosote!!! 


last year we managed to knock the little bugs on the head with pink Nettex redmite stuff from countrywide. This year I'm barbequeing them as I dont' have spare accomodation for if we creosoted.

[Bramblecot]

I spent most of yesterday attacking the little b******s in my hen houses.  There seems to have been an explosion of them in the warmth.  The diatom powder is not keeping them at bay and even Poultryshied is struggling .  So garlic granules in the water is the next method of attack  .  Is a weed wand like a mini flame thrower? (Vision of me going out to the sheds dressed like a Ghost-buster ).

 I also love the smell of creosote.  When we moved here I found a old container of it in the shed.  I used it on the hen house and the neighbour could smell it 70 yards away    Brilliant stuff, lethal.