Preventing/Controlling Mites

[Carlton]

I am wondering if anyone has any "new" research or results from their research on bird mite prevention/control. Topics that come to mind are cedar shavings/chips, flowers of sulfur, Dawn dishwashing detergent, various soaps, D.E., lavender etc. I find this topic so important as many purple martins hosts have MANY gourds or houses and are unable to perform nest changes. Also, many people are not willing to subject themselves or others to physically handling mite infested housing. Many hosts are getting older or handicapped and just not physically able to perform nest changes. 5% carbaryl dust works very well, but some people are not willing or able to use it to prevent or kill mites. I think that we, as a concerned community, need to do more research on alternatives for bird mite control in birdhouses.

Carl

[Conrad Baker]

I'm no expert, but my best solution to controlling mites is Sevin (carbaryl). I put some in the nest cavity when I put in the nesting material (pine needles) at the beginning of the season. After the martins complete their nest building and start laying eggs, I treat again. I usually treat once again after the eggs hatch. By treating I mean sprinkle some on the floor under the nest and a little in the corners. I do not use any other method. I have never done a nest change which I think would be ineffective if the birds and/or nesting compartment are already mite infested. The mites would just migrate to the new nest (in my opinion) and they would still be a problem. Diatomaceous earth is known to cause lung problems to the birds so I would avoid that. I have never heard of the Dawn dish soap used in treating for mites. Cedar shavings could possibly be effective, but I have no experience using it. Cedar is well known for repelling pests.

[flyin-lowe]

I have had martins for many years. I have always waited and applied Seven to each nest a couple days before the first eggs in the colony are set to hatch, or within a day or two of them hatching. Is sprinkle a small amound under the front edge of each nest. This way the adults don't get in on them or onto the little ones. Assuming the nests stay dry this one applicatione will knock down any mites that might already be there and will last several weeks. This will be effective until shortly before they are supposed to fledge. If it does start to lose it's effectiveness before they fledge it is late enough in the season that they will fledge before the mite populations can get out of control again. I have been doing this one time treatment every year and never had a major mite issue.

[scottfreidhof]

This is not new because it was introduced to me a number of years ago here on the forum as an alternative to Sevin. Avian Insect Liquidator by VetaFarm is made for killing lice and mites on indoor caged birds. It can be sprayed directly onto indoor birds as well as onto their perches and nest boxes. Of course the label does not include use for purple martin nest cavities.

The time interval between treatments is 6 weeks and the active ingredient is Permethrin. The product does have a limited shelf life of 2 years. The 500-ml (16.9 oz) concentrate container should last a couple seasons. The concentrate is mixed with water at 5% or 6.4 ounces per gallon of water.

[Carlton]

THANKS, everyone for replying. I too have found the 5% Carbaryl highly effective and have used it for gardening now for probably 60 years or so. I have used it for bird mites for maybe 40 years. I enjoyed reading about your experiences. I know that in some parts of the country it is getting very hard to obtain and so I am always searching for alternatives. I know that most people are not going to do nest changes, especially if the nests are teaming with mites, and in order to save a lot of martin lives we need to continue to have easy to use preventatives and solutions. In no way am I criticizing people who do nest changes. The more power to them! God Bless them! I do know though that most do not sometimes because they have far too many nesting pairs, the landlord is unable to physically or mentally deal with mites and nest changes and such.

[Carlton]

I have had martins for many years. I have always waited and applied Seven to each nest a couple days before the first eggs in the colony are set to hatch, or within a day or two of them hatching. Is sprinkle a small amound under the front edge of each nest. This way the adults don't get in on them or onto the little ones. Assuming the nests stay dry this one applicatione will knock down any mites that might already be there and will last several weeks. This will be effective until shortly before they are supposed to fledge. If it does start to lose it's effectiveness before they fledge it is late enough in the season that they will fledge before the mite populations can get out of control again. I have been doing this one time treatment every year and never had a major mite issue.

I have been waiting and applying about 1/4 teaspoon, to the edge of the nest, along the wall, about the time the young are starting to show pin feathers. I only do it once unless, for some reason, there is a major outbreak of mites, such as in a rainy/hot, spring. In the 20 years now that I have hosted martins, hundreds of pairs, I have never had a problem with jumpers or severe mite infestations. One year I did forget to treat my tree swallow nest, when I lived in Delaware, and the way those young died was just horrible. I swore that was never going to happen again. I now live in hot, humid and often wet, SE Florida so mites can be a serious problem if nature is left on its own.

[Carlton]

This is not new because it was introduced to me a number of years ago here on the forum as an alternative to Sevin. Avian Insect Liquidator by VetaFarm is made for killing lice and mites on indoor caged birds. It can be sprayed directly onto indoor birds as well as onto their perches and nest boxes. Of course the label does not include use for purple martin nest cavities.

The time interval between treatments is 6 weeks and the active ingredient is Permethrin. The product does have a limited shelf life of 2 years. The 500-ml (16.9 oz) concentrate container should last a couple seasons. The concentrate is mixed with water at 5% or 6.4 ounces per gallon of water.

Thanks for a great tip! Much appreciated.