advice on bird mite infestation

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advice on bird mite infestation

Hello, ive recently became aware of bird mites infiltrating my room and have been bitten and developed an allergic rash. I am being extremely diligent about finding the best way to elimate them as quickly and effectively as possible (i would like to leave no possibility for re-infestation. I have a few questions I ran into and was really hoping I would be able to get some advice/help from a professional entomologist.

Firstly (and the thing that has been stressing me out the most) is the possibility of these mites moving onto a human host (me), I have read extremely conflicting information online and cannot tell if this is possible, how often this happens, and if those sharing their stories are simply delusional/paranoid. If you have any information on the likelihood of this affliction, please let me know!

Also, wondering what the best way of treatment is given the level of infestation? So far I have only seen it in my room (upper "attic" floor) and pre-dominantly on one side of my room closest to the window (also where the bed is), this window appears to be closest in proximity to what i assume is an abandoned birds nest (we are getting that professionally removed tomorrow).

The exterminators are treating my room tomorrow, though i dont think they have plans to treat the entire house as a whole. I've read the best combination is to use a strong miticide in combination with an IGR, is that recommended?

Thank you so much, i hope you get the chance to see my message.

Best,
Megan

Status: Open Jul 05, 2020 - 08:54 PM

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RonDawson

Jul 06, 2020 - 07:48 AM

Megan, there are so many different factors involved here, it is difficult for me to give any specific advice that would rectify this situation. I will tell you this - most bird mite infestations are in and around the nest. Once the nest is removed and the area treated, with almost ANYTHING suited for mites, the problem is usually solved. Bifen, Talstar, and products that are truly miticides work. There is nothing special about any chemicals used for this purpose. It may require several treatments before all life stages are eliminated. The use of an IGR is questionable. It can help, but don't depend on it to be a cure-all. It's not.

The real question here is if you are truly seeing bird mites. Or if the the problem is something else. My experience is that 99% of the time, it's not bird mites. Your pest control company can't tell you if it's a bird mite, clover mite, rat mite, red spider mite, or any mite. It takes a special microscope with a trained eye to tell the difference. A University with an entomologist who is an ACARIST can tell you this. A pest control company can't unless their guy is a trained ACARIST.

Best of luck.

Ron

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RonDawson

Jul 06, 2020 - 01:15 PM

Megan, fortunately, most of the time bird mites are not an issue for humans. They will attack on occasion when the nests are removed. It completely depends on the species of mites. There are many different species of bird mites, so I can only give you general information. In most cases, I would not think they would infest a bed or mattress, although it could be possible, especially if anything is made with down feathers. But if the mattress, pillows, etc are all a polyester blend, then the likelihood is almost zero.

They can't multiply without a food source. However with treatment, the insecticides will cause them to move to other areas. So its not uncommon to find them in new areas after treatment.

The only thing you can do now is to keep treating, and you might also consider using some sticky traps such as the 288i Glue trap placed along baseboards and under beds etc to trap and monitor them. https://www.epestcontrol.com/pest-pro...

If they show up keep treating. You have to keep treating until they "cycle" out. Which means that there life forms all complete and then they die off.

Ron

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RonDawson

Jul 07, 2020 - 06:45 AM

I think what you are really wanting me to tell you is that you are going to solve this problem. You will in time. However, it will take treatments and then analysis to see if results were obtained. I would immediately get rid of anything down on your bed if you are getting bit. You don't want them to find a new nesting spot. Anything animal or bird related could allow them to thrive. You have to make the area as sanitary as possible.

The 288i trap is the best for monitoring. There are no baits for bird mites. Trapping will only allow you to monitor the infestation to let you know if they are still around. Traps will not control them.

I would suggest talking to your pest company and develop a strategy for control. Don't expect elimination with 1 or 2 treatments, although it is possible. Just don't expect it.

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on 7/7/2020 8:32:49 PM | Like (0) | Report

Hi Ron,

Thanks again for the advice here! Definitely much appreciated. The local exterminators that came by seemed to think that throwing away the furniture and repeat treatment may not be necessary but I have insisted on at least a second treatment in a week and potentially a third. They have successfully removed the nesting and spray treated all corners/edges of my room as well as windows of the two rooms on the floor below. I have also went ahead and purchased the glue traps you recommended for future monitoring! I believe we have noticed this during the earlier stages of infestation as we have not seen the mites in any of the other rooms in the house so far (fingers crossed) outside of mine (my room is the upper floor "attic" room essentially", and I was the only person that was bitten.

I want to make sure I am taking all the necessary steps in complete eradication (bugs are my worst nightmare out of anything that could happen). I am tossing away affected furniture such as the mattress and frame (we have hired a company to remove the furniture and they have stated experience with bed bugs and will wrap the furniture for us, i am assuming if they have experience disposing of bed bug infested furniture, then similarly they should be good to use for bird mites?)

I have another couple of follow up questions if you don't mind.

Have you dealt with a good number of bird mite cases before, and what strategies have you learned to be the most helpful? Approximately how many treatments at minimum would you recommend, and at what time intervals? I have packed up a lot of items in the room already but I am slightly concerned about my books...would these mites also infest books, and if so how should that be treated? I am unable to launder certain clothing items in a super high heat due to the sensitive nature of the fabrics (silks for example), I am thinking of boxing them up for a month while leaving moth balls in these boxes, would that be sufficient to kill any mites or eggs that may be on those clothes?

Thank you,
Megan

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on 7/7/2020 8:42:59 PM | Like (0) | Report

In addition -- I also just want to say that I know there may be a limit to how much instruction you can provide without seeing the situation yourself first hand, and I totally understand that! It is honestly rather difficult to find a professional with ton of experience in this sector that is willing to help answer questions like this online and in such a timely manner! The PC company I am using weren't able to answer so many specific questions (I think they were a bit taken aback at the extensive amount of research i've done and huge amount of questions, there is a slight language barrier as well), and they didn't seem to think it is too bad of an issue, but even if this is at a low level severity professionally speaking, I am operating as if this is a highly severe case, it is always better to be safe than sorry and I hope to never see these again in my life if i can help it!

It has been difficult finding a professional opinion for these questions and I have given up speaking to other victims as the most vocal people are the ones with the most frightening stories i've found and perhaps that breaks people more than it helps sometimes...

I cannot thank you enough for the advice you've already given, know that I really appreciate what you're doing here and I think that having this forum for other sufferers with unanswered questions is so helpful and beneficial!

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Hi Ron,

Thank you so much for your response, it is really appreciated! We are fairly confident these are bird mites as the exterminator said so after inspecting the nest that is in the area where we first began to notice the mites. Since they seem to be coming from the abandoned nest in the vent outside on the side of the house, it seems to make the most sense that these are bird mites and not a different type of mite.

Based on your professional experience, the thing I am most concerned about is whether these mites can adapt and take a human (me) as their host when the avian host is no longer there. Am I thinking too much into this or is that a likely possibility at all, considering they seemed to have infested the bed that I was originally sleeping in (we are getting rid of the mattress as well as bed frame at this point). I have read a number of horror stories online about this happening and would love a professional opinion as to whether or not you've heard of this.

Typically, would you say that fogging is something necessary for a bird mite infestation? Our exterminators simply did two rounds of spraying. And how many repeat treatments are needed for a complete eradication? We are also looking to replace the ventilation where this seemed to be affected. How quickly are these mites likely to multiply? What products would you recommend to be used on the person as well as the environment following professional treatment?

There are not a lot of resources online with regards to bird mites so I am really grateful and appreciative of your advice here!

Thanks again,
Megan
Hi Ron,

Thank you so much for responding as usual! Yes that makes sense most of my bedding is down! I guess they can sense that it is made from some kind of bird. It definitely does reassure me that they aren't likely to feed and take a human host as that was definitely my biggest fear... and what a lot of people have claimed to have happened to them online. I will also give setting up some traps a shot and see, what would be the most effective type of trap/bait for bird mites?

How often do you find that bird mites were able to be successfully eradicated? It is not really possible for us to move right now but I'm terrified of not being able to beat this thing! Are most cases pretty straightforward and extermination successful?

Thanks,
Megan
In addition -- I also just want to say that I know there may be a limit to how much instruction you can provide without seeing the situation yourself first hand, and I totally understand that! It is honestly rather difficult to find a professional with ton of experience in this sector that is willing to help answer questions like this online and in such a timely manner! The PC company I am using weren't able to answer so many specific questions (I think they were a bit taken aback at the extensive amount of research i've done and huge amount of questions, there is a slight language barrier as well), and they didn't seem to think it is too bad of an issue, but even if this is at a low level severity professionally speaking, I am operating as if this is a highly severe case, it is always better to be safe than sorry and I hope to never see these again in my life if i can help it!

It has been difficult finding a professional opinion for these questions and I have given up speaking to other victims as the most vocal people are the ones with the most frightening stories i've found and perhaps that breaks people more than it helps sometimes...

I cannot thank you enough for the advice you've already given, know that I really appreciate what you're doing here and I think that having this forum for other sufferers with unanswered questions is so helpful and beneficial!

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