Blood mites in aviary birds INFO

Blood mites in aviary birds – symptoms, control and prevention

Learn more about blood mites in aviary birds, including their characteristics, lifestyle, symptoms and effective control methods.

General information

Blood mites (Dermanyssus gallinae deg) are ectoparasites commonly found in bird species such as pigeons, chickens and aviary birds. They suck a lot of blood from their hosts and can cause anemia, which makes the birds more susceptible to disease. Blood mites can also transmit diseases to their host animals.

General characteristics

Adult blood mites are approx. 1 mm in size, eight-legged and dark red in color. They lay 3 to 7 eggs a day, which they hide in cracks and crevices. Blood mites can survive for months or even up to two years before they hatch when the climate is more favorable again. They can survive for months without food.

Lifestyle

Blood mites live in the immediate vicinity of the birds and hide in cracks and crevices during the day. At night they crawl onto their host animals and suck blood. They can also occur in hatching trays and on young birds.

Symptoms

Scabies, emaciation and lethargy can be symptoms of a blood mite infestation. It is important to regularly check crevices and cracks in the aviary for the presence of mites and to detect infestations as early as possible.

Control and prevention

Chemical pesticides are available, but they are not very effective. Effective control methods are Dutchy’s®, predatory mites that eat blood mites. Dutchy’s® should be used as soon as an infestation is detected to prevent excessive numbers of blood mites. Regular cleaning and disinfection of the aviary can help to prevent infestation.

Order your Dutchy’s® at tierfutterpro.de and follow the instructions in the instructions for use for birds to solve the problem as quickly as possible.