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Bird Mites


Are you one of those people that love waking up in the morning to watch that nest of beautiful birds right outside your bedroom? Or, maybe you fancy canaries enough to actually keep a few as pets. Either way, are you also one of those people who ends up with small, mosquito-looking bites that never seem to go away? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you need to know about avian mites, commonly referred to as bird mites.

Bird mites can infest any bird, so if you happen to be a bird watcher, bird-lover, or bird-handler, beware! Bird mites require an avian host in order to survive, but they can sometimes stray from the host to nibble on our human bodies. They won't actually stay and have a meal on us, but the bite they use to test our blood will certainly be red, itchy, and irritated for up to a few

Birdmite.jpg
weeks. Here are a few ways to identify these pesky critters, and then get rid of them for good.

There are many different types of bird mites such as canary lung mites and chiggers, but the most common troublemaker is the red mite. Red mites are generally less that 1mm in length, and are typically white or clear until they feed, at which point they will turn dark red to brown. These mites will most often feed at night, which will keep any pet birds you have awake and antsy.
The easiest way to determine if you have bird mites is to cover the areas in question with a light colored sheet. If it looks like there's a spattering of dirt or pepper on the sheet when you check it in the morning, you've got a problem.

The mites will often infest birdseed, especially if the seed is left outside. If you notice the bird seed appears to be moving slightly, the best recommendation is that it should be disposed of, although freezing it for a week or so has also been known to be fairly effective. I just cannot imagine bringing infested birdseed inside to put in my freezer.

Bird mite colonies can reach tens of thousands in size in a relatively short span of time if left unchecked, but don't start to panic and throw a bug bomb into your house just yet. Avian mites can be exceedingly difficult to get rid of, however at times a non-toxic solution may be available, as long as the problem is limited to the outdoors. If you know the source of the infestation, such as the nest outside your window we mentioned before, removal of the nest may be necessary. Then, treat the spot and surrounding area with a water and soap solution. This can be done by filling a fertilizer dispenser attachment on an ordinary garden hose. If your main concern is the safety of the birds, don't use antibacterial soap.

Birdmitenest.jpg
bird nest
If the mite infestation has invaded your home, you can start with 20 Mule Team Borax, an over the counter natural detergent available at most general stores. Mix this with wax and wax floors with it, sprinkle it on infested areas, dump it on your head, if necessary. No, don't actually do that last one. But, it is all natural, so feel free to be generous with it.

If your mite problem is bad enough, you may need to resort to re-insulating your home and replacing tiles in your roof where birds may have nested. This can be very costly. Before going to this point you might want to try an over the counter pesticide, such as Sevin 5% Dust, which is available at most hardware stores. It's an insecticide that kills over 75 different species of bugs, and is used on produce, so you'll be okay with it in your home, but let’s keep it out of reach of the children.

If all else fails you're going to have to call the bug guy and have him do his magic. Professional pest control services will do the trick, but can get expensive. So, try your luck doing it yourself first.

Comments

Kristin
24 Jul 2008, 02:30
Hi,

I have bird mites and have an 8 month old! We just moved into this house. Discovered I had mites when one day I broke out in horrible itching red welts. Got me before the baby. Used orange oil to clean the floors and walls and vacuumed every surface and washed on "sanitary" setting all fabrics. Am washing bed linens each day. This all began about 5 days ago. Today we removed an abandoned bird nest from our roof. There was a dead bird in it. When will the mites go away? I continue to be diligent. How long will all of this take? How do I stop the egg hatching cycle? Help! Want to avoid poisons. Thanks!
Ask The Exterminator
24 Jul 2008, 08:32
You are doing all the right things. Finding and eliminating the dead bird was a major factor in beating the mites. Bird mites can survive two to three weeks without a bird host, so as long as you prevent birds from reentering, you can expect to be rid of the problem within that time frame.

Don't forget to clean the area where you removed the dead bird. You can do this with rubbing alcohol.
Mary
10 Aug 2008, 04:05
Hi, we moved into a house four months ago. The house had been empty for a year. Basically, when we sat on the carpet, our feet would feel a little itchy. We thought it was because the carpet was dusty despite having been professionally cleaned. I am a clean freak so I vacuumed and dusted the house every three day for the first month to get rid of dust and spiders. Anyway, my daughter complained of "buggy bites" a couple of times and we thought it may be the dust or spiders. We even did the white sock test to see if it was fleas and that was negative. In general though, it really didn't get our attention until one night it got so bad that we were playing with the kids and couldn't sit still because our feet being bitten and had all of a sudden little rashes. Then we started feeling little pin pricks al over our bodies. We fogged with RAID and it helped for two weeks and then things completely went downhill. We tried CedarCide for two months and that helped to bring the population down. Everyday, I mopped 1-3 times on the hard floors and my husband vacuumed the house. Did I mention we started researching and figured out it could be mite? They are like little white dots and even burrow into the skin and cause a lesion or they pin prick when they are black. Lately , I am even finding these black ones sticking to us and just having at it until we dig them out. Beside all this we wash all our clothes and sheets everyday and we sleep on the air beds in the study which has hardwood floors. These bugs are in our cars and bite us there and basically we don't invite anyone over anymore. So, we have given our notice and have decided to move. My question is, how can we make sure to not carry this to the next house? What is the sure proof way of making sure of getting rid of the bugs which we think are maybe mites permenantly from our cars? I hope you can help us. We are very tired and desperate. I pray and believe in God's Mercy but of course we have to act also in a proactive manner. We have four children. Thanks for all your help.
Ask The Exterminator
10 Aug 2008, 08:37
At some point it is simply time to call in a pest control professional. From experience, they know where to look and treat. Sometimes you just cannot do it yourself.

Many people worry about the "strong" pesticides used by the pros, but the fact is that nearly all pesticides they use now are low on the toxicity scale. Ask the pro what pesticides and methods of treatment they will employ in treating your house. You can even ask for copies of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) before the treatments. Stop suffering and make the call. Get a pro with good credentials by checking them out with the Better Business Bureau or Angie's List.
Ann
11 Aug 2008, 10:11
I have just recently encountered this problem. My dog was bringing them in, I think, from the deck. I have my dog going to the vet today, but after reading about this, I told them it was bird mites, not fleas. My husband has removed the nests from under the deck. What should we wash the entire deck off with? It is a new deck, so it can not be treated until next year, I do not want to ruin the brand new lumber. Also, how long will the mites survive on my dog? How long should the dog be excluded from the house?
Thanks for your time.
Ask The Exterminator
11 Aug 2008, 10:14
You can wash the deck with water. The goal is to remove all the nesting materials. Once the birds and nests are removed the mites will have no host or home.

After the vet has treated your dog you can allow it back into your home immediately.
Mary
18 Aug 2008, 02:02
Thanks for your advice. We were thinking that when we move we will immediately call the professionals and get the new house exterminated. Still, my question is should we get rid of clothes because especially the cotton ones itch and should we get rid of the furniture just to be safe? Last, I am sorry to bother you but how exactly do I find the correct and "true" professional extrerminator in Houston, Tx or rather Sugar Land, TX that knows anything about mites? The ones I have called refused to believe that we don't have fleas.
Ask The Exterminator
18 Aug 2008, 09:24
Before you start throwing your clothing and furniture in the dumpster, speak to a pest control professional.

To find a reputable pest control professional visit the website for the National Pest Management Association. Click on "For Consumers", then enter your zip code in the box under "Find a Pro". It will give you a list of association member companies and that should put you on the right path.
Roberta
22 Aug 2008, 16:38
Hi, I-m writing from Italy.
I have my mother in law that is American, there in Florida...that is fighting so bad with these Bird mites and all the time she went to doctors to try to ask for HELP, they were keeping say that she was Crazy and that all was in her Brain...and al that without even doing an appropriate test on her with microscope etc.
She is very sick she has this infestation for at least now 7 months and she has them living on her all day long and everywere she goes she feels them crowling and biting her...in her mouth, eyes, ears and private parts...
It is not true that they just live thre weeks without blood, I-m sorry to say that but if you find lots of studies on these parasites, you can understand that they live up to 5 to 9 months without BLOOD and in almoust all climate conditions!!!
The fumigations does not work so good when the infestation is so long...and even the BUG people, are not able to help you lots of the times!!!

http://wcbstv.com/health/bird.mites.bloodsucking.2.741942.html

here is what happened to one of the 100 person that has them!!!
So ...I hope these people that wrote on this web site wil be aware that these Parasites will not go away so easily and that they can live for sooo long...so BE CAREFUL and try everything you can...!!!
Good luck everyone!!!
Roberta
thomas davis
30 Aug 2008, 21:28
HELP,HELP, HELP!
I discovered mites in my bird seed ,I have removed all of the seed that was infested but there are still millions of these mites in my garage , they are on everything .I believe ther are still some in my home as I cannot believe that after a good cleanining that they are all gone. It is impossible to hand clean everything that may have them on it. HELP , HELP ,HELP!
Ask the Exterminator
31 Aug 2008, 00:38
Call, Call, Call a professional pest control company to help, help, help.

Sometimes you just cannot do it yourself. The pros know what and where to treat. Stop suffering and pick up the phone.
Marsha
02 Sep 2008, 15:58
One damn phoebe nest outside our window three and a half weeks ago -- exterminator has been twice and we still have bird mites! Scrubbing and treating everything but it is hopeless.
Ask the Exterminator
02 Sep 2008, 16:15
You can scrub and clean until next year and not resolve your bird mite issue until you discover their source. If the attic has not been carefully examined, if the outside roof has loose shingles or tiles, if the chimney needs repair or any number of other issues that allow birds to nest, you will never get rid of the mites.

The search for your still-unfound source is key to the successful eradication of the mites. It is going to take ladders, flashlights and people with experience to fix this problem.
Marsha
28 Sep 2008, 09:04
Still fighting bird mites -- it's now seven weeks! Exterminator is great -- kind and helpful, been three times, last time with the supervisor. Sprayed different things each time, put down sticky traps this time as well. The one nest was removed from an outside window sill on 8/10 and there seem to be just a few mites in the house now (have seen a couple on sticky traps) but STILL finding them on ourselves. Bleached and washed and dried clothes in a hot dryer but still feel crawling on us and when we hit the crawling- feeling spot with a white paper towel soaked in alcohol or witch hazel it picks up a black spot that looks like pepper. Cats and dog seem fine, parrot was removed to the garage on 8/10 and he is fine -- no itching. Washing bedding every night, showering ourselves sore -- still finding them. By all accounts they should have died out by now! At least they are no longer biting so I'm hoping they starve.
Ask the Exterminator
04 Oct 2008, 09:07
Boric Acid is readily available from lots of sources. Just go on line and Google it.

If you cannot locate the "things" that are biting you, pick up a couple rolls of double sided carpet tape and put out some strips around your bed, mattress, headboard, base of the wall behind the bed and any place you think you might capture a bug. Examine the tape every couple of days to see what you capture.
Marsha
02 Nov 2008, 05:59
Our local biologist/columnist wrote two recent columns about bird mites infesting houses. They can be read online --go to caledonianrecord.com and then click on columns, Bill Amos, Oct 14 and 21.

Our mites, which started 8/6/08 are just about gone -- threw out all carpet and all upholstered furniture, exterminators visited three times and are due again next week. New flooring will be wood and we will never feed birds again!
rachel
02 Nov 2008, 21:31
I live in Southern CA where it never GETS cold. Will I never get rid of these monsters? As it is I haven't seen friends or family for almost 2 months for fear I will spread this plague of bird mites.

I live alone. I can hardly move all the heavy furntiture to vacuum thoroughly. I bought a new vacuum, a new mattress and a steamer. Yet I still itch all over my face every day. I can't afford to replace all my furniture and flooring too. I just don't know what to do. I am getting very depressed.
Ask the Exterminator
06 Nov 2008, 23:30
Some of the larger pest control companies employ entomologists. Although I seldom make specific recommendations about pest control companies, I can tell you that Western Exterminators is a very large California exterminator with many specialists. Call them to explain your problem. I am certain they will be able to help you.
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