Revenge of the Red Mite

The rain has been hammering down on Flyte so Fancy's corner of Dorset over the last few days. I'm talking about raindrops falling so quickly, they are hitting the ground, bouncing back up in the air and falling again. The thing is, here at Flyte so Fancy, we're still wearing shorts and t-shirts despite the heavy downpours that are falling and hot, humid weather can only mean the return of red mite.

Flyte Mite RTU
& Diatomaceous Earth

Hot, damp weather is the ideal conditions for red mite, they love it, so now is the time for paying extra attention inside the coop. Elbow grease, the right products on the shelf and a sharp eye for the tell-tale signs of an infestation will mean that you can prevent or kill any mite that take up residence in your coop.

The Tell-Tale Signs

1. If your girls are reluctant to go into their hen house at night, its probably because they know what is waiting inside for them. A chicken not wanting to go to bed at night is the surest sign that red mite are inside your hen house.
2. A red dust or detritus building up in the coop, the left overs from an industrial population of red mite.
3. The vaseline trick. Put a smear of vaseline around the end of the perches, as red mite crawls through the vaseline some will get stuck, allowing you the next morning to see if there are any in your coop.

Prevention 

Prevention is always better than cure. When it comes to your hen house, a little elbow grease and the right cleaners will see the issue taken care of before it even starts. Flyte Mite Ready to Use Spray, is a an all round cleaner and disinfectant. Using an anti-bacterial action, it provides effective mite control, by removing the organic matter in your house that insects live and lay there eggs in. Flyte Mite Spray should be used in conjunction with Diatomaceous Earth. Used throughout the coop, it removes moisture and the damp areas where mites, moulds and lice can thrive. Traditionally Diatomaceous Earth has been used against parasites such as lice, fleas and mites as a preventative treatment.

Killing Red Mite

Net-Tex Total Mite Kill

Sometimes, despite you best efforts, red mite will still take hold in your hen house. When this happens it's time to upgrade your cleaner and take care of the issue. Net-Tex Total Mite Kill is a multi-purpose cleaner and insecticide, containing permetherin for rapid knockdown of the pests inside your coop. As well as killing mites and lice, it will also kill off bacteria and viruses. Organ-X Mini Insect & Mite Smoke Bombs are highly effective fumigators for clearing all types of insects from inside poultry housing. Simply remove the birds from the house, seal it up tight and then set a fumer off. Once you have left it for a few hours, open the coop right up and give it a good clean through.

Red Mite can show up any time, but the hot, damp weather that we are currently experiencing is a particular favourite of theirs, so around this time of year it is best to be vigilant and if you see any, to take care of them quickly.

If you have any questions about red mite or how to best to get rid of an infestation from your hen house, leave a comment below or call us on 01300 345229 to speak to a member of our team.


Thanks for Reading
James