Red Mite and Diatom Powder

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trouble106

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Hi, I have ben keeping chooks for just over 3 years now, altho new to the website !!
I have always used Diatom Powder amongst other things to keep Red Mite under control.
I usually use the Diatom Powder in Beding and for in cracks and crevices, however when cleaning out hen boxes this time, I have forund the Red Mite congregated in the Diatom Powder :shock:
Has anyone else experienced this ? I know Red Mite have been particuarly bad this year, but are they starting to become immune to the treatments ?? :-)07

Donna.
 
We found most of our red mite in the mite repellant powder we scattered into the corners. Some of them are not killed by Smite and only slowly killed by Nettex. But in one coop I only showed them the Smite and they died -not really, but it was 100% effective for first time. I think they evolve rapidly between generations. Those that are naturally immune go on to breed a naturally immune generation. We used Elector biocide to great effect, but a generation or so later and they were immune to it. We have to alternate treatments and, in the coops we can dismantle, treat with old fashioned creosote. A local breeder treats all her many dozens of coops with creosote every 6 months.
 
I have found them in mite powder too, try vacuuming or powerwashing, then treating with a type of spray mite killer that you havent used before
 
Thank you, o have bought mite-x and that has worked after several applications. I wanted to get creosote but can't find it !?!? You apparently have to be registered to buy it !!
 
chrismahon said:
treat with old fashioned creosote. A local breeder treats all her many dozens of coops with creosote every 6 months.
Click to expand...
Wow thats a bit OTT. I would go with proper Creosote,but be warned unless you've got lots of ventilation in the houses you will have to rehome birds for a few days until the fumes die down.

I have treated all my poultry houses with it, about four years ago and I just noticed a small collection inside a perch rest which I have to say was in a hut which for various reasons had missed the last three clean outs. :oops:

Try ant powder, it contains the same active ingredients as a lot of the expensive mite treatments but a fraction of the cost. I just bought a new tub for 99p and treated the red mite collection with that, end of problem.
 
Creosote is certainly effective but even so the houses and perches need doing at once a year at least. You don't have to be registered to buy creosote and I can get it at Scats and a local builders merchants. Biggest problem for the small keeper is that you have to buy a big drum and it's around £40. In sheds I find that you can put the birds back in on the same day as long as the weather is fine and the wood dries.

When I first used ant and crawling insect powder it worked very well but seems to be less effective now. I think a lot of money is spent on products that are ineffective.
 
I bought Bartoline in a 20 litre steel drum for £32 from a local agricultural merchants. We are registered with Animal Health for sheep and chickens (if you have over 50 it is compulsory) but no evidence was asked for -they just wanted the sale I suppose. The breeder who treats her coops every 6 months does about 4 at a time which are then left unoccupied for a week or so before birds are moved in and their original coops are treated and so forth.
It seems to me that using treatments that are not 100% effective simply compounds the problem, as the resulting immune mites just keep breeding and can't be killed. With smooth good quality timber coop it is ready for reassembly and re-occupation in a few days so a temporary coop could be a makeshift affair if the weather is good.
 
i decided to get rid of my wooden houses after having a big major shock of red mites attacking then i went and brought a little wooden coop and it took only 48 hrs for the mites to move into that am surprised the wood has'nt rotted with the amount of stuff i have sprayed in there :lol: at the mo its not being used and its been clear for about 2 weeks now , i havent had any mites in the plastic coops { i converted to the large storage garden sheds } but i have brought a few into the house and thats really worried me .
i've been told that even a realllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy cold spell wont kill them ??
 
Anybody tried those chicken House Fumers, as advertised on the Regency Poultry Site? http://www.regencypoultry.com/heathcare/redmite_and_Lice/fortefog_mini_fumer.htm
I have a small red mite colony in both my wooden coops, and was thinking of trying a fumer, followed by a red mite spray. Anybody know if this would work? Roisin
 
That's a good idea Roisin. I wonder if a Sulphur candle would work? You use them in greenhouses to kill absolutely everything before planting. You have to remove all ferrous metal and plastics tools and tubs and stuff first because the Sulphur attacks them. Needs lot of fresh air through the greenhouse before you can go in after treatment. They cost about £5 each and I would use 2 in our 10' x 8' shed and two coops arrangement.
 
sounds good but how long would you have to leave the house empty before returning the birds ?
 
Don't know Karminski, I haven't used it on a coop before. But I would say it would need a whole day to treat and get rid of fumes. Trouble is half our shed is still a shed and everything has to go outside, so can't try until I have the candles and it is dry.
 
if you do try it at some point then let us know how you get on would be interesting to know if it works , :) anything is worth trying once .
 
Thanks, thats a really great idea. I've just ordered some over the internet. I think you light it with the bedding still in the coop, so any mites in the straw are killed, and them remove the bedding. I usually recycle my used bedding straw (usually its pretty clean as I do poop pick, and only have two hens in each coop) and put it in the run, which the hens like. Is this safe to do after its been treated with a sulphur candle, or should I throw it?
 
Throw it, as it will stink of Sulphur and the stuff would take the skin off your throat -horrible, but that's what kills all the bugs and diseases in a greenhouse. I personnaly would remove all the bedding first so it kills anything in the timbers underneath. You also have to close all the doors and air vents as it needs time to do the job.
 
Yep. It says on the tin to leave to ventilate for 12 hours after treating. Chooks in temporary accom in the garage then! I must admit to being a bit scared of it. Could I just light the sulphur candle for 1 hour, and the go out a douse it? I may do it in the evening - and dont like the idea of accidentally poisioning any little birds/mice sleeping nearby. And if I feel really unsure I might keep the candles for a SEVERE infestation, and just stick to the red mite spray for now...
 
Good idea I think Roisin. It is powerful stuff designed to kill everything inside. In the old days they used pure nicotine (as in cigarrettes) heated to a vapour to kill greenhouse pests. Deadly in that dose to any mammal including the gardener! The nicotine from 20 cigarettes taken in one go would kill anyone and that is a very small amount actually.
I will try it though, but at the moment we are keeping the numbers down until we can use Elector biocide again next year.
 
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