Red Mite
Red Mite.
Red Mite is an obligatory blood-feeding ecto-parasite ( ecto means it attacks or feeds on the outside of the bird) as opposed to worms ( endo parasite) that feed on the inside.It attacks resting birds, mainly during the night for a short (1 - 2 hours) blood meal.After feeding, the mites hide in cracks and crevices away from daylight.Here they mate and lay there eggs.
Red mites are very small and are just visible without magnification and may appear like moving specs of dirt The eggs are microscopically small (400 x 270u) oval and pearly white. Red mites are not species specific and will "attack" any species or breed of bird. They do not fly nor are they usually transmitted via clothing allthough if there is a bad infestation, mites have been known to "jump" onto a person's clothing and therefore could be transported this way to another location/Aviary etc.Remember they are only usually out of their hidey-holes towards dusk/dark and would be unusual for them to be active during daylight hours.
They are extremely mobile considering their microscopic size and can travel great distances relative to their size! They can be transferred from bird to bird or from wild birds landing on your Aviaries, especially if you have a open roof.
Adults - are red when engorged with blood otherwise black, grey or white,females are about 1 mm long, mouthparts : slender and whip like. Life cycle (stages) -Female mites deposit eggs (after a blood meal) in crevices, under boards, at the ends of perches where they butt up to the back of the cage or in debris near roosts. Under warm conditions the eggs can transform into : Six-legged larvae within 2 -3 days .These 6-legged larvae do not feed .Within 24 hours the larvae moult into 8-legged protonymphs - which do feed.Protonymphs start to feed on roosting birds ,they then moult into deutonymphs which continue feeding before becoming an Adult Male or Female Red-Mite.
Deutonymphs take a blood meal then moult into adults .Under favourable conditions the life cycle (egg-to-egg) can be completed in 7 days (frightening!!) Adults have lived up to 5+ months without a Blood Meal So, they can live off their host (the bird) without a Blood Feed - for up to 5+ months and still survive! They are nearly white when unfed but are bright red, when recently fed .They are grey to black with a partially digested blood meal inside them.
Site of infestation - Skin of the host, but most of the life cycle is spent in hiding places in the nest, Aviary, cage, perch-end or roost crevices.
Pathogenesis/clinical signs - If the levels of infestation are high, the mite can cause increased stress to the birds - including : Anaemia, due to blood loss - Severe skin irritation -Blood loss can cause increased susceptibility to disease especially if the bird's living conditions aren't the most sanitary! or may be severe enough to cause death .
Clinical signs include restlessness, scratching, usually around the head with the foot or rubbing the head and face on perches (more often than usual) The mites can occasionally bite mammals, inc. humans, causing painful skin irritation often on the inside of the human forearm.
A large infestation will causes anemia amongst small birds.they can be especially dangerous to small chicks in the nest.Mites may be difficult to find on the bird during daylight hours.Look for mites in their hiding places during the day with a magnifying glass,mainly confined to dark hiding spaces. if you suspect you have Red-mite, hang a piece of white cloth/white sheet over the front of your cage and in the morning you will find blood-red mites (as they will have just fed) they seem attracted to the white cloth. Check for tiny black spots - the mite's droppings these are also indicative of infestation.
Control measures - Seal as many joints & crevices of your Cages, Aviaries, Nestboxes & Feeders as possible Use "Painters' Mate" mastic (that sets hard) or similar (you can get it in brown)Red mites are able to survive rigorous cleaning and disinfections programmes .Heat guns have been used to some effect on the joints and crevices of wood-work. Steam cleaners (no birds in the Aviary at the time!). Synthetic Pyrethroid (Cypermethrin) .Pyrethroid (alphacypermethrin) Permethrin and Piperonly Butoxide ,Permethrin is also used in healthcare, to eradicate parasites such as head lice and scabies,and in industrial and domestic settings to control pests such as ants and termites. Silica-based products.Citrus extracts.FLYCAM W (Recommended by DEFRA for Poultry Farmers to eradicate Red Mite from their Flocks
- apparently very effective - comes in powder Form and can be diluted to spray).
IVERMECTIN "spot-on" is one of the most effective preventative and eradicating measures you can take.
It works in a similar way to "Frontline" which you can buy to put on your dogs and cats to worm them and kill off fleas etc.Ivermectin works systemically i.e. it is absorbed through the skin or feather shaft into the birds body.So, it follows that it also will be absorbed into your body through your skin if you get it on you.You MUST WEAR rubber GLOVES before you catch up your bird to administer it It can make you feel ill and you know you have absorbed it because you get a strange bitter taste in your mouth! Catch up your bird and blow the feathers apart at the back of it's neck where it can't get it's beak to preen.Put one or 2 drops (check directions first so you do not overdose) on the back of the birds neck,as near to the skin as possible.Give it a few seconds to start to absorb before letting the bird go.IVERMECTIN controls and helps to kill both internal (worms) and external (mites and lice etc.) parasites.You can buy it over the internet or from certain Pet shops and at Bird Sales.
Duramitex - was a solution you could use - Do not use it , ever.
Feeding your bird Garlic (helps deter mites) ,It works by exuding a strong garlic smell thru the birds skin,which the mites and other biting insects don't seem to like (your can buy pure Garlic powder or granules from Agricultural merchants or Saddlers)Add it to a soft food such as Egg Food and/or sweetcorn .Eucalyptus leaves/branches in the Aviary are supposed to help to deter Red-Mites,It has been rumoured that having Zebra Finches in the Aviary seems to have help get rid of them One theory is that they eat them.The other theory is that when the Red-mite suck the Zebra's blood it is toxic to them and kills them .Not sure which, if any is true - but worth trying - if you have a small-bird Aviary where the Zebra Finch would fit in with the other birds.
Directions for use - Red Mite Concentrate or any Anti-mite spray preparation : Red mite is a nocturnal creature so it’s best to spray the birds at night. Check the preparation you are using is safe to use on birds or NEAR to birds BEFORE YOU SPRAY with your birds in their Aviary.Dim the lights as low as practically possible to avoid any undue agitation amongst the birds.Don’t forget that red mite can live away from the bird for up to 36 weeks.
"GRANDAD'S" Tried & Tested Red-Mite deterrents - Paint Paraffin into the cracks and crevices with a small paintbrush.Mix Paraffin with Vaseline and smear in Cracks and crevices + nest box bases.Vaseline smothers the mites - as in scaly-face and scaly-leg.Use Carbolic Soap in the same way you would use the Paraffin & Vaseline .Double-sided sticky tape over cracks and crevices .Coca Cola - the coke sticks to them and the Acid in the coke breaks down the Red Mite's outer shell, killing them. A very sticky,but apparently effective treatment.
To keep Red Mite out of your Nests/NestBoxes/Aviaries - You can make your own spray by adding 20 drops of Eucalyptus natural Oil and 20 drops of Tea Tree (both can be bought from Health Shops or Chemists)into 250ml of warm water in a (clean) spray bottle then spray your nests/boxes etc. before you put the bedding in. (DO NOT SPRAY if EGGS in the Nests) .The Tea Tree is a Natural Antiseptic, as is the Eucalyptus which also has the added advantage of being good for the birds’ breathing and an effective germicidal and anti-bacterial.
Feather Mites.
Feather Mites.
There are a considerable number of species of feather mites.They are flat and live in the grooves of the feather barbules.They do not suck blood.The smallest feathers all possess some feather mites.
Feather Mites: These tiny arachnids are so extremely small that to the naked eye they appear to be tiny dirt particles on the bird's body, wing, and tail feathers. On the Purple Martin, "colonies" of them can be seen on the long wing and tail feathers between the feather barbs, but you'll have to have the bird in your hand to see them.
| Clusters of tiny (0.5 mm long) feather mites on the upper surface of a Purple Martin's tail feathers (rectrices). They get their nourishment by chewing on the feathers. Although these parasites are typically harmless to Purple Martins, they can severely damage an individual's plumage during heavy infestations. |
For nourishment, they chew on the feathers and a heavy infestation may severely damage a bird's plumage. Other species of feather mites, known as quill mites, pass their entire life cycle within the hollow confines of the wing feather quills. These types feed on host tissue fluids by piercing the quill wall with their sharp mouth parts.
Like the bird lice, feather mites spend their entire life cycle on the host, laying their eggs on the feathers. They are very habitat specific on their hosts, different species preferring different types of feathers and even different parts of particular feathers.
The life cycle is the same as for red mite and the treatment with ivermectin likewise.
Fodder Mites
Flour / Fodder Mites.
Mites and ticks belong in the phylum Chelicerata, class Arachnida, order Acarina.
This is the commonest species (see above) of mite in foodstuffs; it has reddish/pinkish legs. Flour mites can live in almost any type of flour or in fodder and, not least important, in stores of seed or corn. They are also to be found on old cheese. A single female can lay up to 500-800 eggs in her lifetime at a rate of 20-30 a day.
After hatching the life cycle consists of a larval stage, two so-called nymphal stages and the adult stage, which at 25°C is reached in three weeks. These mites can go through their life cycle at a temperature as low as 0-4°C, but they do require adequate humidity, and will not thrive if the relative humidity is less than 65% as they will desiccate. The entire life cycle may take only nine to eleven days to complete under the optimal conditions of 90% humidity and 77° F. The life cycle is completed in seventeen days at 64-71°F, and twenty-eight days at 50-60° F. Flour mites are able to withstand periods where the conditions are unfavourable. After the second nymphal stage they may pass into what is known as hypopus stage which is a diapause form, in which they are almost immobile and very resistant to desiccation. In the hypopus stage, the body wall hardens and suckers appear on the underside. These suckers allow the mite to attach to insects and other animals for dispersal. The eggs and especially the hypopuses appear to be more tolerant of insecticides than other juveniles or adults; and they may be the primary stage responsible for resurgences in mite populations after chemical control appeared to have been successful.
Flour or grain mites are pale, pearly or greyish white, with legs varying in colour from pale yellow to reddish-brown. Each leg has one claw at the end. As with all mites, they are smooth, wingless, soft-bodied creatures. The males are from 0.013 to 0.017 inch long, and the female is from 0.014 to 0.026 inch. The males have enlarged forelegs which bear a thick spine on the ventral side. These two characters can be used to separate Acarus sp. from other genera. Juvenile mites are similar in appearance to the adults. The first or larval stage has only six legs. However, when they moult into the nymphal stage, they have eight legs like the adults. Mite eggs are oval, smooth, white, and are 0.12 mm long.
If there is any doubt as to whether flour is infested with mites it is only necessary to spread a little out on a table and leave it for quarter of an hour. If the mites are present the surface of the flour will become uneven as the mites start to wander about.
Mite infested foodstuffs acquire a sickly sweet smell and a taste which renders them unsuitable for human consumption. Heavily infested products are definitely injurious and should be discarded. Heavily infested grain and feed that has become tainted and unpalatable as animal feed. When fed infested commodity, small companion animals (e.g., dogs) can show reduced feed intake, diarrhoea, inflammation of the small intestine, and impaired growth. Pigs that consume mite-infested feed have their live-weight gain, feed:gain ratio, and nitrogen retention markedly reduced.
All aviaries carry fodder mites and seed should be stored in cardboard drums or a wooden seed bin,metal bins sweat and this helps the fodder mites to reproduce.Purchase MONOPROP and sprinkle some in the bottom of the seed bin before filling with seed,add a little more at different levels as the bins are filled,all mites in the bin will be eradicated if the lid is kept closed for two days after adding Monoprop.