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We've had a red mite population explosion!!

The birds are sprayed once a week (as is the ark) , and red mite powder is shaken into their ark when it's cleaned out.

Really, we need to creosote the interior of the house, but obviously, we can't get creosote anywhere!

I had thought of cleaning the inside of the house with Jeyes Fluid over the weekend, when they can be out in the run all day (as opposed to at night when I get home from work and they only have a few hours out)

Is there anything else I can do to get rid of the red mite?

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

what a pain those red mite are,seems like your doing the best that you can.When ive had a problem ive googled "omlet."They have a woman called barbara whos helped me in the past,you could try her.All the best hope you get an answer that helps.

You need to seal up the gaps where the mites breed - if you can move the chooks out for a bit while it dries thoroughly, give the whole house lots of coats of gloss paint to seal up the cracks - this is what the lady at the chook place advises.

You will need temporary accomodation for then though, as the fumes from paint as it dries will harm them, and i think it keeps giving off fumes for a while after it has dried to touch- I've read you should leave it a week before allowing chooks to use the painted house again.

I don't know what sort of roof you've got on there, but roofing felt should be avoided as the mites breed in the gap between it & the wood.

The best of luck with your problem - it's very common, must be so annoying.

We've got an old fashioned (but not old) wooden ark... it's all made of shiplap type wood.

Will get my emergency chook house out (modified rabbit hutch) for the weekend

Wonder what colour gloss the girls would like???

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

How about green with a wiggly worm motif? Actually, that might make 'em try to eat the house. Just dust the temporary house thoroughly before you move em in, and hopefully this'll sort it out. You could put a little mite powder in their dustbath in the future as a preventative measure, perhaps?
Good luck!

Once a wooden out-door item has been painted, you HAVE to keep the paint finish 'sound', or the wood will rot! Don't paint it while it is damp either (same reason). Moisture under paint causes rot!
Creosote (or a good substitute) is better, but most 'wood preservative' treatments are going to help somewhat. Creosote will still need 'alternative accommodation' provided for a day or two.

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Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

cuprinol trade (solvent based) gets the red mite but has no odours so you cna put the birds in as soon as it is dry to touch. We treat the house in the morning and the birds go back to bed in the evening

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www.poultryproducts.co.uk

Heeeeeeeeeeeelppppp perlease...

We've been fighting the red mite for a fortnight now and this weekend, courtesy of an old farmer friend, managed to get hold of some creosote. Disgusting stuff but needs must.

Anyhow, the problem now is that the dogs are scratching and on checking them, we have seen some red mites.

Can they live on domestic pets...and humans?????

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www.smokedfoodsdirect.co.uk

Can't get any redmite killer out here as the Vets are not allowed to sell it because of it's toxicity. Several grapes recommended spraying the house with hot vinegar and then running over all the cracks with a blowlamp. It works a treat! Not a permanent solution but it keeps the redmite down.

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Knowing my luck I'd probably convert the hut to ashes!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Toffee. Dunk the dogs in the bath, the mite cannot survive if you plunge yoursolf in the bath so it will probably work on them too!

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www.poultryproducts.co.uk

Thanks Countryfayre, we did that last night and today checked witht he vet who said themites can't survive on dogs anyway.

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www.smokedfoodsdirect.co.uk

Have had success power washing the little **** out. Can splinter the wood a little, but easily sanded back out and so worth watching them drown. Have been dusting the house regularly but missed the knots under the perches. Have now sprayed them with mite spray - available at farmers' shops. (about £7.00) Am going to paint with Cuprinol Shades as soon as it's dry (2010 maybe), will that kill them too or will it just look pretty?

The cuprinol trade is solvent based so I assume that is why it works so well. The best way to treat and keep on top of red mite is to use poultry shield and diatom in conjunction with each other on a regular basis, even when there are no aparrent red mite around. I tried all sorts and would swear by the above. It is not cheap to start out with but will last you ages and with no sell by dates on either product they can sit in your shed.

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www.poultryproducts.co.uk