The Poultry Keeper

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2215 Location: North Cornwall

I have 6 little houses made from ply wood that i use for mums with chicks or growers, that sort of thing. This week Ive cleaned them all out and sprayed them inside with Poultry Shield, ready to stack away in the dry for the winter. They have all been empty for 2-3 months.
OH says 'lets give those little houses a coat of creosote before they go away' and this is what crawled out of the wood work,red mites. Shocked

To be fair to Poultry Shield there were very few on the insides, but who sprays the outsides of their chicken houses. Take into account that the ply at the top of the pic is only 3/8 ply you can see how small they are, and if you look past the obvious grey ones there are thousands of minute ones. OH has always said that creosote is the best red mite controll, and i now think he's right Shocked

I think you must get them before they feed and turn red. Once red they are breeding and the tiny babies are the devil to see and kill but Im sure it is at this tiny stage that you have to get them to have any sort of controll Shocked

tuzo2k · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 193 Location: charente sw france

Deosect is the best product I have ever used - normally used for treating red-mite in horse stables. It is a bit expensive but well worth it and because of the dilution it lasts for ages. I used to split the tin between a few of us like-minded poultry keepers. I still have some left here in France but no idea if I can buy it over here - will have to investigate further.

thehenman · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 171 Location: lincolnshire

get a Weed Wizard Butane Gas Flame Burner and burn em out ,it gets in all the cracks Very Happy

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2215 Location: North Cornwall

CP · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:57 am Post subject:

Hate the little b*****s! Twisted Evil

I don't think you ever get rid of them completely, they appear again just when you think you've won the battle. Twisted Evil

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1430 Location: Leicestershire

I gave up on my wiping experiment when I dismantled the tongue & grooved back board of one of my growers huts - it was full to bursting with them Evil or Very Mad

. . . . . All of my huts are made with tongue & groove.

Itsybitsy

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2215 Location: North Cornwall

Some of mine are the same Itsy, but i've found over this summer that they have their likes and dislikes. Some cracks they dont go near, others they really like and I think each house has a main laying area where you wont find many reds but thousands and thousands of babies. You need to go over the house with a magnifying glass to find their favourite places. In my houses it seems to be behind and in the sides of nest boxes. If you see a crack or place that has the white dust type you can be sure that within days you will have a big outbreak of reds. I just squash everything I can and save the chemicals and gas gun for the others, but the tiny ones need doing over and over again, and next year Im doing the outside of the houses as well. But i hope next year we start a bit better now the houses have had a good soak of creosote. Perhaps the dark stain will show up the tiny white ones easier Rolling Eyes

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1430 Location: Leicestershire

Yes, I more or less know where the favourite spots are in the old hut, it's finding those places in the newer huts . . .

Itsybitsy

sasha.p · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 491 Location: gwent

omg i think im off to get some creosote for my boody coop whilst its empty guess i will soon find out if there are any around i always look real hard for theses and always use dhs gas lamp around the cracks when cleaning the bedding just as a precauction only thing is the gas costs loads as its a plumbers welding lamp!but it gets really hot lucky i have not started a fire lol nice photos though that is an extremley good picture thats shows what they are like Very Happy

Welsh Duck · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:36 pm Post subject:

After reading all these red mite issues- suddenly im favouring my ducks much more Confused

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2215 Location: North Cornwall

Dont be too sure Rolling Eyes

My ducks used to perch on the back of a wooden bench and stopped all of a sudden. One afternoon without thinking we sat down on it and in no time at all were covered in mites Shocked

layla · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 573 Location: West Midlands

Do you think Diatomaceous Earth would kill them? I rub it into my wooden hen house and dust the girls and the dogs with it too.........seems to keep most things at bay !
Have tried poultry sheild stuff .....waste of time and money

Hugs Layla xx

CP · Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 1:13 am Post subject:

Bradders · Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Cambridgeshire

I've just tried to count them but it's impossible Rolling Eyes

layla · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 573 Location: West Midlands

Grrrrrr horrible things ! Rolling Eyes

Layla xx