Live mites – instructions for use for aviary birds

Live mites – instructions for use for aviary birds

Parasitic mites in aviary birds

Red bird mite (Dermanyssus gallinae deg.).
An adult red bird mite is approx. 1 mm in size, eight-legged and dark red. A female can lay 3 to 7 eggs per day, which she hides in all kinds of cracks and crevices. The larvae hatch after 1-2 days, depending on the
temperature. If the conditions are not favorable, the eggs can remain there for months. The larvae only hatch when the
temperature is right. In this way, the mites can also overwinter without any problems. Before they become adults, they go through a number of nymph stages in which the larvae repeatedly take on a different shape. Red bird mites live for a maximum of six months and can survive for months without food.

Lifestyle.
The mites live in the immediate vicinity of birds. They stay in the aviary and hide in cracks and crevices during the day. The mites are light-shy/night-active and only appear when it is dark. Then they infest their host birds, using a special suction device to suck blood from the resting birds. They are also frequently found on young birds in breeding cages and nesting boxes.

Symptoms.
It is important that a bird mite infestation is detected as early as possible. Therefore, check the aviary regularly and always check cracks, crevices and other small openings thoroughly. An excellent place to check is the underside of the end of the perch. This allows you to detect an infestation at the earliest possible stage. However, the birds themselves will also show you if something is wrong
. They often scratch themselves, lose weight and are listless. During the breeding season, bird mites are also often found in the nests. There they attack the newly hatched birds so that many chicks die even before they are “sitting in” the feathers. If you recognize these symptoms, the infestation is serious and it is time to intervene.

Check.
To detect the onset of a bird mite infestation in good time, place a PVC tube under the perch. Insert a tightly rolled up piece of corrugated cardboard into this tube and the bird mites will use this small passageway to hide in during the day. Check every week to see if there are any bird mites on the piece of corrugated cardboard. As soon as you discover the first bird mites, you should use Dutchy’s® immediately.

Bird mite (Ornithonyssus bursa).
Like the red mite, the bird mite is an ectoparasite that only infests its host animal from the outside. It originally comes from the tropics and
was probably introduced to us through imported material. This mite causes major problems for canary breeders in particular during the breeding season. It is particularly noticeable in spring and early summer. After that, the bird mites decrease significantly; by the end of the summer they are almost nowhere to be found. This leads to the conclusion that they mainly target nestlings and are obviously unable to survive on adult birds. The mites pounce en masse on the
nestlings to suck their blood. This weakens the young birds so much that they usually die after a few days.
Only a few nestlings survive such an infestation. The bird mite can also transmit diseases.
Finally, the animal lover himself can also be affected. During bird care, the mites can also get onto our bodies and bite us. They inject a small amount of saliva into our skin, causing small red itchy patches. In people who are sensitive, this can cause symptoms such as a very irritating skin rash.

General characteristics.
An adult bird mite is approx. 0.5 mm in size, eight-legged and is light beige to transparent with a clear pattern on the body. The female lays the eggs on fabric and leftover material near the bird’s nest. Depending on the temperature, the larvae hatch after 1-2 days. If the temperature is too low, the eggs can remain there for months. They will only hatch when the conditions are favorable
and sufficient “food” is available – e.g. young birds. Before the mites become adults, they go through several different stages.

Lifestyle
The mites live in the immediate vicinity of young birds and are therefore usually found near the nest. In contrast to red mites, they are not light-shy/night-active, but also walk over feeding areas and nest edges during the day. They can move very quickly. During bird care, the mites can also get onto our bodies in a very short time. The mites infest young birds mainly to suck blood, but they also run over the birds’ feathers. If the old bird is in the nest and mites crawl through her feathers, she will become worried, leave the nest more and more often and eventually abandon her young to their fate.

Symptoms.
It is important to detect a bird mite infestation very early on. Therefore, check the nest every third day for mite infestation and intervene immediately if you discover the first mite. If there are already large numbers of mites in and around the nest, you are already too late. The mites are then almost impossible to eradicate, resulting in a large number of dead chicks.

Control
Controlling the red mite and the bird mite is no easy task. There are several chemical agents on the market, but most of them
are ineffective. The problem is that the eggs and the mites can survive for months without food.
In addition, they have often become resistant to formerly effective substances contained in chemical agents, so that some of the mites survive any insecticide. To tackle the problem properly, you can use Dutchy’s®.
These are predatory mites that eat other mite species. Due to the circumstances, they can survive for quite a long time in aviaries and in the meantime destroy any harmful mites with their skin and hair.
The predatory mite searches for its prey and does not leave it alone. Once an infestation has been detected, it is important that the Dutchy’s® are used as soon as possible so that the number of mites does not become too high. The table below shows the quantity of Dutchy’s® required in each case. The predatory mites can be spread on specially designed, small damp mats. This prevents the material from drying out and predatory mites that are still present as eggs in the litter material can still develop. The material can also be placed in a spreader container specially developed for this purpose. You can then hang these containers anywhere in the bird cage. The
advantage is that the birds cannot touch the material.

Prevention is better than cure.
If there are no harmful mites present yet, it may be a good idea to apply a small amount of predatory mites. If this is done just before the breeding season, it can save you a lot of misery. You can then use the lowest dosage of Dutchy’s® to prevent the mites from building up a population and thus forestall an infestation. It may be sensible to repeat such a treatment
every 6 weeks during the breeding season.

Chemical agents.
If a chemical agent was used in the period before Dutchy’s® was released, it is quite possible that the predatory mites will also be affected. In some cases, they may even die prematurely.
To be able to use the predatory mites safely, you should refrain from using such products for at least 6 weeks beforehand.
Housing Dosage Repetition Method

Brood cage 40×40 cm 1 cap/4 cages Every 6 weeks Spreading container or moistened mats in cages Brood cage 80×80 cm 1 cap/cage Every 6 weeks Spreading container or moistened mats in cages In case of bird mite 1 cap/nest Every 6 weeks Under or between nesting material Nesting blocks 1 cap/nesting block Every 6 weeks Under or between nesting material
* A dosage means one level cap.
* The lowest dosage is applied at the beginning of an infestation or as a precautionary measure.
* The highest dosage is applied when the number of (red) bird mites is very high.
* Always cover moistened mats so that the birds cannot spread or destroy the material.
* The material must not dry out for a period of two weeks.