[plumseverywhere]

Wow, just cleaned the henhouse out and as I lifted the perches clumps of redmite fell off    Am transferring the chickens all into the spare house so I can creosote this one on the weekend but just wondered if anyone else has noticed a huge deluge of them too?

[happygolucky]

I went into our shed and got a bit bitten, not seen the mites as yet and the  hens look OK but off to get some stuff then a good clear out!!

[plumseverywhere]

I admit, I had to get the weedwand onto them today!! I know they will be eradicated with the creosote but an initial blast (or sizzle!) is so satisfying...until I accidentally caught the underside of the chicken house on fire. As luck would have it, the hose was filling the drinker up at the time 

[happygolucky]

whops...the little B's  bite too, never had them before

[plumseverywhere]

They do and it itches, the crawl up your arms and into your hair. There's thunderbug thrip things out there too so I'm itching now!

[in the hills]

Thought it was just me  .


Usually we treat the pens regularly with diatomous earth and spray a couple of times in the summer with Total Mite Kill but this year we have an explosion    and what's more they are refusing to die.


 OH has taken all the sawdust out of pens and just put in a thin layer of newspaper. Spraying out every other day this week to see if we can get on top of the problem.


OH is determined to win ..... he is a man with a mission.

[plumseverywhere]

Interesting idea about the newspaper.

I might take some perches out as since mr fox came, we don't have the numbers we did before! all a case of finding ways to reduce hidey holes for the horrible things (and blasting them with chemical warfare)

[Daisys Mum]

Sorry to hear that you all have red mite but at least it's not just me, can't creosote at the moment as I don't have a spare hen house so the blowtorch it is then 

[chrismahon]

Bit risky Daisy's Mum. Try a steam cleaner. You only need a small one -ours is 1500W which we fill with hot water to speed things up (and then run outside with a Honda EU2.0 because we haven't got enough cable from the house). Very little water goes into the timber and it soon dries for the creosote later.

[Daisys Mum]

Bit risky Daisy's Mum. Try a steam cleaner. You only need a small one -ours is 1500W which we fill with hot water to speed things up (and then run outside with a Honda EU2.0 because we haven't got enough cable from the house). Very little water goes into the timber and it soon dries for the creosote later.

Hen house just too far from any power point so really need to get a small generator.

[Greenerlife]

I managed to get a good secondhand Eglu this year so I have no red mites! 

 


Sorry to sound so smug - but my wooden henhouse last year was horrendous with red mite and no matter what I threw at them, it didn't work    They really are the most infuriating things.

[devonlad]

smug here too- really fortunate that we creosoted shortly before the weather turned hot- read somewhere that it needs to be above twenty one deg cent for 7 days for them to take hold. in previous years we have been swarming - only plus is the deep satisfaction of taking a blow torch to a million little critters- god they pop llike rice crispies. since the last time we have a spare house which we use once a year in late spring- completely dismantle the main one and creosote every single bit and then put back together

[bloomer]

i have them its only a little house and they are doing my head in!!!


when i have some more pocket money i am going plastic...

[plumseverywhere]

I asked at the Domestic fowl trust about Eglus and they said that Eglus still have red mite infestations from time to time    at the time this put me off of buying one but in hindsight I'm wondering if anyone has ever actually experienced redmite in plastic?

[happygolucky]

I have never had them before and its not great as I gave my neighbour my last potion for mites..that talc stuff that I cannot pronounce yet smells nice!!1 They no longer have chickens...at least I only have 3 now !