Can you see red spider mites?

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Anonymous

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Hi,
As the header says, can you see red spider mites?
My 4 original pekins won't go in the henhouse at night, but the new 2 do.
I've looked for the mites, but I can't see anything. Should I take it all apart and give a good clean (on a fine day, that is?)
I got the house in Good Friday, the the way.
 
You can see them if you look closely- under perches and if you take the perches out and look in the gaps- i would keep putting you birds in the coop every night- they will get the hang of it -eventually :D
It's best to look at night on your birds- the red mite doesn't come out until dark but yours are probably ok if it's a new house.You can give it a clean - it wont do it any harm,only good :)
regards, David :)
 
Right, next sunny day we get, I'll hose it down with the pressure washer.
Do I need to do this every month?
 
Red Spider mites are different to red mite by the way... Red spider mites are sometimes seen crawling on rocks and walls...

There is a picture of red mite on the end of a perch in this article - and - you will often see a greyish dust / deposit / dirt where they are.

Good Luck.

Tim
 
You need to look for red mite at night with a torch, they're nocturnal and dislike the light.
They can usually be seen near crevasses and sometimes on the birds.
 
If they are there they will come out at night to feed. If you go out when its well and truly dark, armed with a torch and some white tissue you should easily be able to tell if you have them. Just peer on the underside of the perches and wipe along with the tissue and if they are and there and have been feeding you'll see fresh blood on the tissue where you have squished them.

Red mite are actually brown (I don't get why they are therefore called 'red' mite either :roll: ) and much smaller in size that the red spider mite.

They are carried by wild birds so if you have your housing under or close to trees I'd suggest moving to a more open area. Logic behind this is being on the wild birds they come off at night and make their way down the trees.

Good luck.
 
snifter said:
Red mite are actually brown (I don't get why they are therefore called 'red' mite either :roll: ) and much smaller in size that the red spider mite.
Click to expand...

It depends on the age of the mite though and whether they have had a feed. After a feed they are bright red but as they digest the blood they turn more brown.The really small youngsters are almost grey / clear.
 
A thick layer of Vaseline on the end of each perch is a good way to see of you have mites, they will walk along the roosting pole after your birds at night and get stuck in the vaseline.
 
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