Ailment: Bird mites

Remedy: Diatomaceous earth / silicon

Diatomaceous earth, soluble silicon. Food sources. Supplements.

Comment posted by Mike Alger of Ashland, NE, USA on 27 May 2022 at 0:52       5349

YES
I’ll be 64 in June and this is the worst thing I’ve encountered in my life. I discovered my shop and house has water leaks causing mold AND I’ve been dealing with bird mites that infested my shop and moved to my house for three years. Doctors thought I was nuts or on drugs. I have leukaemia and do blood test regularly. Three bug people been out, all trying to sell me something I didn’t need or regular bug treatments. None of them drilled a hole, scraped or scooped anything. I would have spent $5000 so far to eliminate my issues. My dog and I were bothered and the hardest part of this whole ordeal is my wife says it’s in my head. Mites were in my hair, eyebrows, nose, ankles, elbows, ears. My wife helped clean and ran laundry booster if she thought about it. I found an enzyme cleaner like Kleen green will take the brown off your skin, stop itching and make black things fall off you in the sink. I’ve cleared 80% of my issues. I now know what to look for and how to treat. Watch for brown powder, black specs or dots and dust in your clothes. I enzyme spay and shake off clothes I wear, the dust turns into floating white things and when you vacuum your dirt container looks like a cotton candy machine. Dermatologist said I had nibs without one sample or looking at skin close. This is a fight of your own. I don’t say anything to friends or family, tired of the he’s nuts look. Enzyme cleaners YES, diatomaceous earth YES, constant cleaning YES, neem oil YES, tea tree body wash YES, borax YES. These are all part of my life now. Now no itching or bites 95% of the time.

Reply from David Niven Miller:
I would suggest the mould is the bigger problem and it is essential to fix all leaks and clean the mould with a chlorine bleach cleaner. Bird mites are only a possible problem if you have occupied birds nests close to the house or shop.

Comment posted by Susan of East Granby , Connecticut, USA on 14 November 2021 at 12:0       5319

YES
I’ve been suffering since September 2019 with a large bird nest over my kitchen window they crawled through the air conditioner in my window. I was overwhelmed by what seemed like hundreds of them crawling on my legs up to my knees then all at once they started to bite at the same time. It was a complete nightmare. Only one bug inspector knew what it was after seeing 3 other inspectors. I lived in hotels for over a year. My apartment was completely infested with them, clothing, under all the carpets. I also had to get rid of a car due to them in the car. They are so microscopic until they’ve had a blood meal, either humans or birds then they turn black, still the size of a ball point pen tip.
I’ve just begun to use MSM and have noticed a slight improvement. Also I spray hypochlorous acid on everything including my skin and clothing, purchased online. It smells like bleach. I also just started to drink food grade diatomaceous earth twice a day. I am also using an enzyme cleaner. I’ve just taken Ivermectin 3 weeks straight. I’ve heard about an injection called Stromectol and waiting to hear from my Dr if I can get this injection once a month for 3 months.
Only a few people have heard about these mites. Most doctors cannot help, but only one dermatologist understands and is trying to help me. It can drive you crazy, hot humid days, rainy days are the worst. I’m going to get the limes and lemon as suggested on this site. It’s costing so much money to get rid of these things. Best to all of you.

Comment posted by David Miller of Perth, WA, Australia on 2 September 2019 at 14:41       5178

In reply to Churchmouse of Conway, Arkansas, comment number 5176:
These insects are not demodex mites. There is a chance they may be bird mites. It would be helpful if you could get them identified. Do your neighbours have the same infestation?

Comment posted by Churchmouse of Conway, Arkansas, USA on 2 September 2019 at 14:23       5176

I am 73 years old, and have never had bugs before. About a month ago I heard a slight noise at my bedroom window. I had my window raised about two inches so I looked and thousands of what I now know to be mites were coming in. I immediately got my bug spray, it did nothing, they just kept coming. They looked black or dark brown, and about the size of a period "." I've tried all kinds of sprays, Vets Best has done some good but it's a contact spray so unless I get it directly on them, nothing. As they mature the get bigger and turn white. I now have a full blown infestation. They have taken over my house, garage, my little dog, and me. I've been searching the internet for information, Grow Youthful is the best site I've seen! More info here than all the other sites I've visited. Yesterday another million started coming in again, I've closed my windows but they're so small they are still pouring in. I ordered some food grade diatomaceous earth (DE), will arrive today. I know nothing about DE. I'm going to caulk my windows and hopefully get some relief. I've thrown away several items from my pantry, such as crackers, chips,and boxed food. Loss of food, sprays, shampoos and creams have taken a toll on finances, and it's absolutely driving me crazy! The itching and crawling makes it very difficult to go about daily life. I don't sleep much and have absolutely no energy, these little bastards have taken over my life. Thank you so much for this blog, it's my go to for info! I'll keep you posted and will be on here daily. God bless you and the others fighting this battle.

Comment posted by Tina of Brookfield, NH, USA on 25 August 2018 at 6:41       5066

YES
Last year I had a terrible bird mite infestation in a wall tent and cabin. I ended up throwing out most of my belongings and moving with my cat to another location. The mites were not bothering my husband after the initial exposure. Of course right away we got rid of the nests. We treated the cabin with diatomaceous earth. This summer I have sat in the cabin and the mites seem to be gone.

Comment posted by Melaine M of Highlands Ranch, CO, USA on 26 June 2018 at 12:53       5031

YES
I do want to say Diatomaceous Earth is only effective on your skin or around the home when using it dry. People stop mixing it with liquids. It is designed to dry out pest’s exoskeletons and eats and rubs away at their exterior. Always use it dry, wetting it at all voids its purpose!

I used food grade diatomaceous earth on my skin three times a day putting it on with a powder puff or big cosmetic makeup brush. Be careful not to get it in the eyes or breathe in the dust.

There was a big improvement in a few days but I used it for a few weeks to be darn certain they were gone. I washed towels and bedding in hot water every day and vacuumed floors. I sprinkled mattresses, couches, car seats in vehicles carpets and bedding with DE and left it down for 2-3 days.

Comment posted by Susan of Paradise, California, USA on 16 May 2018 at 20:39       5002

YES
When I lived in Colorado Springs about 8 years ago we had the mites that come from birds. Everyone thought we were crazy because they couldn’t see them. People would come over and have to leave in a hurry. We were constantly cleaning but we still had a problem for months on end. My brother in law said to try diatomaceous earth that is natural and made from shells. We put the powder everywhere and let it sit all day and we sprayed it too in all areas where we couldn’t put powder and washed our clothes with some of the powder and spray and bagged them after so they wouldn’t get reinfected. Then we showered and by the next day they were mostly gone. We vacuumed up the powder and did it all over again and by the third day they were gone for good! I haven’t had a problem with them since then.