"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
Although on the slight down side, Nick has just found an infestation
of red
spider mite thingies, and has nipped out to see what he can do with them.
Don't know if they came in with the 2 new birds, or if they were already
there (or if they've come in from the wild since the new ones).
You'll need to dust the hens with an appropriate insecticide
(especially in the "armpits" under their wings)
~That is pointless against red mite. They hide in the crevices of your
henhouse, come out overnight to feast on hens and are back before you are
up.
and the henhouse
(especially cracks, nooks and crannies like the ends of perches).
Yes, that is where they hide.
for a couple of days after dusting you should discard the eggs.
Dusting will not get rid of red mite so you can ignore this advice.
Whenever you introduce new birds it's always worth inspecting for
mites/lice and dusting them,to avoid infecting a clean flock.
I agree. Red mite is a different thing, though. Most hen keepers will get
red mite in the summer hiding in the crevices. They do not like phenol
though. I'm successful at the moment by using 50% Dettol in a spray bottle
into those crevices. It needs to be done 3 times at weekly intervals to
interfere with their breeding process.
Red mites cannot survive that. Or so I've found.