Ailment: Bird mites
Remedy: Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil, melaleuca alternifolia essential oil, properties, traditional healing uses, recipes, warnings.
Comment posted by Che of Baltimore, MD, USA on 24 August 2022 at 3:17 5379
YES
I have been struggling with treating these little devils for the last few months. I was a full time Lyft driver and I believe one of my passengers passed them along to me. It was so bad that I felt that I had to stay away from people completely. What I found that works for me is castile soap with a few drops of tea tree oil added. I chew a whole clove of garlic every day. I use coconut oil with a few drops of TTO on my skin and witch hazel with TTO on my face after bathing. I am reducing stress and eating healthier, no liquor drinking or cigarette smoking.
I clean excessively with bleach everywhere at least twice a day, drying sheets and clothes often. I detail my car twice a week while spraying the interior down with homemade TTO spray.
I am mostly free of the mites after several weeks with this routine. You have to be aggressive and excessive but I promise you, it will work.
Reply from David Niven Miller
There is no need for all the cleaning for a mite infection. Read the Grow Youthful web page on mites and the paragraph on mite transmission. No need to clean house, car etc.
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 Chaos Is of Toledo, OR, USA on 19 February 2021 at 0:42 5292
YES
I'm not sure which type of mite that I have because my Dr thinks I'm a little nuts simply because he cannot see what I can. I have been dealing with them off and on for about 4 years. I am a pre-diabetic. Stress sometimes gets the better of me as I suffer from anxiety disorder, OCD, severe depression and untreated ADHD. I use salicylic acid in an acne scrub. I use it in the shower. Just leave it on for two to five minutes and it brings them to the surface. It stings a little but only because it's working. I recently began using 50-50 vinegar water mixture to spray my furniture and perimeter inside my home. As well as, using it to clean the mold from the walls and window sills. This is when I notice the mites in my hair to be terrifyingly uncontrollable. I honestly can say, I have tried most of the treatments on the list. Coconut oil in my conditioners really helps, and tea tree oil helps some of the time. I am constantly doing laundry and changing my clothes and bedding. I vacuum several times a day. Even my front porch. Ugh. Good luck everyone. May you find peace and clarity soon.
Comment by David Niven Miller: your heavy laundering, cleaning and vacuuming are unnecessary. Read the Grow Youthful web pages detailing the three main types of human skin mites to see how they are transmitted. Stress and anxiety weaken your immune system and are probably the main cause of the mite build up.
Question posted by John of Melbourne, Florida, USA on 29 October 2020 at 1:42 5276
I have mites in my hair, up my nose, in my ears, they bite my feet at night. Are they mites, little black pepper looking things? I have used kerosine, Dawn dish soap, tree tea oil, nothing kills them, put insecticide in my hair, did not work. Man alive what are they? Will sulfur soap or borax work? Not going to a doctor, he will laugh at me. Please help if you know about them thanks.
Comment posted by David of Perth, WA, Australia on 9 June 2019 at 20:2 5160
Reply to Anne of Cootharaba, QLD, Australia.
Have you had these creatures properly diagnosed? They don't sound like demodex mites if they are everywhere, as you say. The first step is to be sure of exactly what you are dealing with. Perhaps they are bird mites or some other insect? Is there a birds nest outside your bedroom? Please get some professional help.
Comment posted by David Miller of Perth, WA, Australia on 25 May 2019 at 13:58 5151
Reply to Riley Geddings of Tampa
Please click on the Tea tree oil link at the top of this page.
Also, many of the comments answer your question.
Question posted by Riley Geddings of Tampa, FL, USA on 25 May 2019 at 0:1 5149
How much Tea Tree Oil do I mix with other ingredients? ie Drops, or what? Thanks
Question posted by Hanginginthere of Belford , NJ , USA on 2 April 2019 at 10:55 5138
Question is for Lin Bee, of of Mesa, AZ:
I have been fighting a mite infestation for some time now and I'm seriously getting to the point that I can't do this one more day. Lin Bee can you tell me the measurements to your mixture? Has anyone had there clothes infested? I can be sitting at work and feel the activity, then see white specs coming up through my pants. My clothes are all in bins and washed with borax. I'm just at the end of my rope. The black little specs and white specs and sometimes even glitter like. No doctor or pest control officer has been helpful.
Comment posted by Lin Bee of Mesa, AZ, USA on 10 January 2019 at 3:48 5113
YES
After reading a February 2016 post by Eve from NV on using Mustard, we put together our own treatment. We put some TTO (tea tree oil), borax and ACV (apple cider vinegar) in spray bottles and began to spray ourselves all over two times a day especially after our showers. In just two or three days we began to see an marked change in our skin and the itching began to diminish. We began to feel like we were at an end of a two year ordeal that left us thinking we would never be the same again. I cannot thank Eve enough for her post and if I could I would send her a bouquet of flowers and much more.
We continue to spray ourselves and add dry mustard from time to time when we think it is necessary. We cut out all sugars, beef and all dairy for two years to the point that we lost 10 pounds each. Now we are adding small amounts of low fat organic beef and some coconut sugar but very little of that. I do not eat cheeses as the mites love that stuff. I have yet to read about anyone deleting foods from their diet but we found that it is imperative to do so as the mites would not stop causing acne all over us. As I sit here writing this, I feel such relief and thanking my God for this blog posting site where others who suffer can tell their sad stories and post what they feel has helped or not helped.
I also want to add that essential oils such as TTO and Eucalyptus oil have been very useful. I am thankful to have my skin back and in reality my life back. We have not gone anywhere for two years because of this horrid condition. I will continue to spray my skin daily with the spray and use mustard to work with or as a deterrent to these most awful parasites. One must try to keep their immune systems up and take supplements and get lots of sleep and drink lots of water. We try to get in about 10-14 glasses a day but we live in AZ so that’s why. Most people can get by with at least 8 glasses but 10-12 is better especially in the summer months. We found a great soap on eBay called Defense that is made of TTO and Eucalyptus that really gives us a good cleansing washing off any mite faeces and dead skin that accumulates during the night and day. I don’t shower twice a day any more as my skin can’t take a lot of washing. So, one shower with daily spraying is what we do. I hope this helps someone suffering with Demodex mites infestation. There is a cure and I have just outlined it. It worked for us and it will work for you but you must do it and be faithful about it.
PS. I wanted to add why the ACV borax TTO spray works. The ACV takes the hard shell off the eggs and the borax kills the larvae. That is the magic bullet. The mustard kills the mites in 50 seconds when they come in contact with it - even mustard water. Use only powdered dry mustard not the bottled, ready-made kind. That is filled with fillers and spices that the mites may like. Buy powdered mustard and dilute it with water. Use a q tip in your ears and nose. Put the mustard water on a sponge or wash cloth to wipe down your skin in the shower and finish your shower with the ACV spray. Use Neem soap or TTO soap to wash with. You have to do this for the rest of your life to keep them away because once you have had a mite infestation, you are susceptible to them again. God bless and good luck!
Comment posted by Jon Casson of London, United Kingdom, UK on 3 March 2018 at 4:36 4950
I have had itching for about 4 months after replacing a budgie. The bird has gone but the itching remains. In my bed, I find a few small pin head size black mites? I've tried 20 or so lotions and sprays. After 6 trips my Doctors think I am mad despite pimple size bites on my upper body. My only effective treatments so far are Vicks ointment and tea tree oil diluted 50-50 with baby oil. A cortisone steroid cream makes some sleep possible. I am hoping a sunshine holiday will help. You are not alone or the only one but it is really depressing, irritating.
