Early this spring I posted to a thread about mite/parasite control. In this post I related how I had had discussions with a former landlord with a moderate sized colony about how she controlled mites using flue cured tobacco leaves. There were no replies to this post. This person had provided me with some tobacco leaves so on her advice I decided to try it. First some statistics. My colony is an established colony (central North Carolina) of about 10 years. I have mostly plastic gourd housing (super and excluder gourds) with a couple of Nature house modified aluminum houses on 12 poles. I have 182 cavities with occupation generally running around 150-160 nests each year. In the past I have generally had on the order of 30-50 premature fledglings and when putting these back have always been astounded by the mite load covering my hand and the outside of the gourd. I have tried Sevin dust but without good success. I have on occasion changed nest material but I do not regularly do nest checks due to the colony size and time limitations. However, in all other aspects I consider myself a devoted landlord. This late winter as I was preparing to put up the housing prior to putting in a starter load of pine needles for nesting in each gourd I first placed a 3-4 inch square of a tobacco leaf under the pine straw. I put the tobacco in all cavities except for 1 pole of 10 gourds as a control.
The results. With nesting at my colony just about completed I have a reasonable idea of the results. However, I need to try this and monitor for more years to be sure this is not a fluke before feeling comfortable with the results. I have had only 4 premature fledgelings. I have checked for mites in a total of 30 gourds with tobacco and 3 without tobacco. In all the gourds with tobacco I have not found a single mite in spite of trying hard to get them onto my hands. In contrast, the three nests I checked without tobacco had typical very heavy mite infestations. If this is real then this is a very easy and safe solution to the mite problem. I can not comment about other parasites such as blowflies because I have never seen other parasite infestations in my colony.
It is not easy to find a source of raw whole flue cured tobacco leaves even in central North Carolina. I will try the source the tobacco I used this year came from as well as other sources (if anyone else in North Carolina knows where to obtain flue cured tobacco easily let me know please). I will repeat the study next year - perhaps with more scientific design and control - and report. If others (especially landlords who do regular nest checks) can find tobacco and participate we can combine our findings.
Hopefully this is a good solution and if so hopefully we can find a sufficient source of tobacco to distribute to other landlords in other parts of the country for more testing. I would be interested to hear if others have heard of/tried this and any results.
Hope everyone is having as good a year as my colony has had. It will soon be quiet at the colony and work will begin for next year.
Regards,
Larry
Mite problem solved??
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Guest
I would be really interested in trying it. What is "flue cured" tobacco, as opposed to regular tobacco?
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Guest
Flue cured tobacco is tobacco leaves that have been "cured" in special drying ovens. The moisture is slowly removed from the tobacco leaves to a certain % moisture (I don't know the specifics) and then some moisture is added back. This makes for the soft leathery flexible leaf that is then used for tobacco products. Flue cured is different from just air drying the way it was done in old times. Note that you can NOT use finished tobacco products - like cigarettes or cigars - as a substitute for the raw leaves. Either the flue cured or the original air dried process raw tobacco can be used.
Larry
Larry
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
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- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Sounds like you may have a good solution for mites
You said "I have tried Sevin dust but without good success.". I wonder why it didn't work for you as it seems to work excellently for most people. When did you apply it, how much, did you already have mites when you applied it, etc?
You said "I have tried Sevin dust but without good success.". I wonder why it didn't work for you as it seems to work excellently for most people. When did you apply it, how much, did you already have mites when you applied it, etc?
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Guest
Interesting thread. I will have to try searching for this tobacco.
Please let us know if anyone can come up with a reliable source.
Please let us know if anyone can come up with a reliable source.
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Wyatt, I am using the last of my sevin powder now, its about 6 or 7 years old. I tested it on some mites that I had in one gourd and it killed them within 2 days. It only lasts up to 10 days after it gets wet.
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John Miller
- Posts: 4863
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
In western Kentucky where I mostly grew up they produce a type of tobacco called "dark fired." They hang it in the barns and then smoke it (at least they did when I was a kid). I don't mean that they inhale it..I mean they smoke it.
I think it's sold for chewing tobacco. So..maybe a can of that would work in gourds? Some some folks on the forum who "chew" could try it...but a "pinch" of sevin probably would be less expensive.
John M
I think it's sold for chewing tobacco. So..maybe a can of that would work in gourds? Some some folks on the forum who "chew" could try it...but a "pinch" of sevin probably would be less expensive.
John M
Hi,
I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has issues with Sevin not working. At one point I was putting in a heaping tsp of the 5% Sevin every week and it was barely making a difference. I ended up doing another (3rd!) nest replacement and spraying with a fly-repellant for horses. That combo worked but with 57 cavities to change...WHAT A PAIN!!! This year I tried an enzyme product from Erva (Nature House) which is meant for PM's and getting rid of mites as well as cleaning the insides of PM houses. It helped a little but was by no means a solution. I still ended up doing 3 nest replacements and using cedar bedding for the last nest change. That worked very well. I didn't have to run to the shower every time I did a nest check
I like the idea of using tobacco leaves. If someone finds a source, let me know!
Emil,
I am not sure why Sevin doesn't work well at my colony. The only thing I can think of is that we get very warm and humid and have better mite-breeding weather.
I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has issues with Sevin not working. At one point I was putting in a heaping tsp of the 5% Sevin every week and it was barely making a difference. I ended up doing another (3rd!) nest replacement and spraying with a fly-repellant for horses. That combo worked but with 57 cavities to change...WHAT A PAIN!!! This year I tried an enzyme product from Erva (Nature House) which is meant for PM's and getting rid of mites as well as cleaning the insides of PM houses. It helped a little but was by no means a solution. I still ended up doing 3 nest replacements and using cedar bedding for the last nest change. That worked very well. I didn't have to run to the shower every time I did a nest check
I like the idea of using tobacco leaves. If someone finds a source, let me know!Emil,
I am not sure why Sevin doesn't work well at my colony. The only thing I can think of is that we get very warm and humid and have better mite-breeding weather.
Fledge on!
Nanette
Nanette
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Nanette, I had one nest that had a dead baby when I took down the gourds and it had a lot of mites.
Step 1: I put some sevin on the outside neck of the gourd there where lots of mites, and they were gone within a couple hours on the neck. There still were a lot of mites inside the gourd the next day
Step 2: I put some sevin powder inside the gourd, and checked the gourd the next day and they were gone inside the gourd
My sevin was 7 years old, so that was my way of checking to see if it was still good. That test showed that it was still good.
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Here is something that may be a problem. If you hang the gourds with a wire, the water runs down the wire and into the gourds. If you don't have many drain holes, the sevin could get wet. By getting wet, the sevin would be useless in 7 to 10 days, that is the life of wet sevin.
Sparrows around here seem to bring in the mites. Maybe your nests are being reinfested by other birds, and the sevin does not work because it got wet.
My nests stay very dry, they do not normally get water in them. That may be a reason why the sevin works so good for me. I know that sometimes sevin does not last the entire season, it sometimes depends upon the weather. I like to add sevin about the time that the first babies are about to hatch, and that seems to last the entire season, maybe because the nests stay very dry.
Keeping nests dry is just a good practice. I can imagine that eggs that may be in cold rain water for an hour or two may not hatch, plus it wastes the sevin applied to that nest.
Step 1: I put some sevin on the outside neck of the gourd there where lots of mites, and they were gone within a couple hours on the neck. There still were a lot of mites inside the gourd the next day
Step 2: I put some sevin powder inside the gourd, and checked the gourd the next day and they were gone inside the gourd
My sevin was 7 years old, so that was my way of checking to see if it was still good. That test showed that it was still good.
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Here is something that may be a problem. If you hang the gourds with a wire, the water runs down the wire and into the gourds. If you don't have many drain holes, the sevin could get wet. By getting wet, the sevin would be useless in 7 to 10 days, that is the life of wet sevin.
Sparrows around here seem to bring in the mites. Maybe your nests are being reinfested by other birds, and the sevin does not work because it got wet.
My nests stay very dry, they do not normally get water in them. That may be a reason why the sevin works so good for me. I know that sometimes sevin does not last the entire season, it sometimes depends upon the weather. I like to add sevin about the time that the first babies are about to hatch, and that seems to last the entire season, maybe because the nests stay very dry.
Keeping nests dry is just a good practice. I can imagine that eggs that may be in cold rain water for an hour or two may not hatch, plus it wastes the sevin applied to that nest.
Hi Emil,
The gourds are usually dry except when we have a driving rain with heavy wind. All the gourds hang from gourd hanging arms and the natural gourds I made a few years back, were made with what I remember as one of your ideas. I used a piece of PVC to run through the neck of the gourd, glued and caulked it in and then ran the gourd arm so that no rain can get in. The gourds have plenty of drainage holes.
I don't know that any other species of bird is bringing in the mites. I have had a nest cam for several years in different cavities and each time, you can EASILY see that the parents were covered in mites way before the nest was showing mites. I think they come off the parents, like the hot, moist/humid weather and breed like crazy. Then as if by magic, the young fledge and there is a wagon train of mites heading for another inhabited cavity. It is pretty amazing in a scary sort of way. The same day the birds fledged, there was a swarm (enough to practically blacken the cross bar) of mites leaving the gourd trying to find a new meal.
When you put the Sevin in the gourd, did you try to lift a corner of the nest up and place it beneath, did you take the nest out and spread it beneath or did you scatter it on the nest?
The gourds are usually dry except when we have a driving rain with heavy wind. All the gourds hang from gourd hanging arms and the natural gourds I made a few years back, were made with what I remember as one of your ideas. I used a piece of PVC to run through the neck of the gourd, glued and caulked it in and then ran the gourd arm so that no rain can get in. The gourds have plenty of drainage holes.
I don't know that any other species of bird is bringing in the mites. I have had a nest cam for several years in different cavities and each time, you can EASILY see that the parents were covered in mites way before the nest was showing mites. I think they come off the parents, like the hot, moist/humid weather and breed like crazy. Then as if by magic, the young fledge and there is a wagon train of mites heading for another inhabited cavity. It is pretty amazing in a scary sort of way. The same day the birds fledged, there was a swarm (enough to practically blacken the cross bar) of mites leaving the gourd trying to find a new meal.
When you put the Sevin in the gourd, did you try to lift a corner of the nest up and place it beneath, did you take the nest out and spread it beneath or did you scatter it on the nest?
Fledge on!
Nanette
Nanette
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
I usually sprinkle a tiny bit on the very edges of the nest, and near the entrance so that they do not walk in it very much. No, I usually do not put it under the nest.
By the way, I still use the pvc pipe, its so easy to hang and remove the gourds. It sure helps using it to keep the nests dry. Hope you like that method..
By the way, I still use the pvc pipe, its so easy to hang and remove the gourds. It sure helps using it to keep the nests dry. Hope you like that method..