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I just thought I would let others know that I am having much more success with Atticus Splivan than I did with Elector PSP for bird mites. Both products are Spinosad A&D but the Splivan is mixed well already and does not clog the spray bottle or ULV fogger. It was a nightmare using Elector as it never would fully assimilate in water and it eventually would clog the spray bottle and settle on the bottom. Diluted at 4:1 (H2O:Splivan) is the exact same strength as the Elector at 12ml per gallon for D. Gallinae, and I only use distilled water.

In a small spray bottle I spray it on my scalp when it gets really itchy; also on other parts of the body, especially my back. I also use the Splivan at 3:1 in a fogger for the walls and ceiling, wearing a NIOSH breathing mask and full goggles. And I leave the area for about an hour afterward. It really is not any cheaper if I had to make many gallons but it is much more cost effective to just buy a 32 oz bottle of Splivan every few months. Bonide and Monterey are two other brands with the identical strength Spinosad as Splivan but I have not used either yet.

I realize it is only one thing in the arsenal against a house full of bird mites; as the house has a full basement and carpeted areas, and this mite can live a very long time without a host. Hope this will help to let others know there is an alternative to Elector. Good luck here. A. (FYI: Here is the link to the dilution ratios for Spinosad A&D)

I thought I would let others know that a whole house heat treatment did not really work for me to get rid of these bird mites. There is a national company that promotes the use of home heating to 150 degrees for 6 hours to get rid of bed bugs and the man from their local office in the area said that this should work for bird mites also.

I had to get rid of some things in the home that would melt, put some things out in the garage, open all drawers, closets, etc., and stay at a hotel for the night. The next day the home was still very warm and so I was hoping that it did the trick. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It got rid of about 90% of them in the basement which has tile flooring, so that was good. But upstairs in the carpeted living area it only got rid of about 50% and within days it was back to square one.

Some of the issues seem to be…they did not elevate the furniture up from the carpet so that the heat could get underneath adequately, and since heat tends to rise anyway, the mites must have just burrowed deeper into the carpet and padding, under furniture, etc. Just thought others should know, as it is very expensive to do this. Good luck. T

Just wanted to share an interesting thing that occurred with a pet cockatiel. When my home was first infested with bird mites from a vacated sparrows nest, I could not get rid of them; threw out almost all my furnishings, moved a couple of times, used all kinds of bug sprays, etc. This was in 2002, before the internet had this kind of detailed info about these little buggers afflicting people.

I dealt with them a few years, and suddenly had to move into my mom’s home and take care of her when my dad passed away. I was very careful; used a separate bathroom, bedroom, sat only on solid surface chairs, etc. And not surprisingly, her mature male cockatiel started to be bothered by them, and they soon identified the bird as the preferred host and left me alone. And also my dear mother…thank you Lord!

It was D. Gallinae, as I could see hundreds of little red specks on the bottom of the bird cage each morning, when the bird was first infested with them. I kept sticky flypaper on all the legs of the bird cage and sprayed daily with a diluted Dawn and water spray solution, and only had to vacuum every few days. The bird would diligently clean himself for a period of time and then flap his wings vigorously and had very little problems with the mites either.

My mom lived a few more years and at no time were either of us bothered by the mites, not at home or in the car either. When my mom passed away, the bird died soon after. And since I was the only left in the home, they eventually identified me again as the host. And so I have been bothered by them since then. Just thought others should know this, as maybe having a mature male cockatiel would be a solution for others also.

FYI: For anyone considering a bird, here are some things that may be helpful…Use a metal floor stand for the bird cage and wrap sticky fly paper around all the legs. Cover the bird cage at night with a small poly/synthetic blanket to prevent mites from dropping down into the cage from overhead, and place this in a sealed plastic bag the next day. Sprinkle a heavy amount of baking soda and iodized table salt (50/50) in the carpet under the bird cage. If you have hardwood flooring, get a small carpet square and place this on the floor under the legs of the stand. No need to vacuum this up as it has a long residual effect. Replace the paper in the bottom of the bird cage daily. And also spray the cage daily, as needed, with a Dawn dish soap and water solution. Plan on bathing the bird about once a week in a sink with warm water and Dawn soap. You can quickly dry them off with a warm hair dryer. Good luck and hope it can help. God bless us all. T

Thanks for the informative website, much appreciated. I am grateful to find out that there is a medical name for this terrible affliction I have had to deal with, as have so many others. I only wish there were a simple answer, like taking a pill, but there is not. It is just a lot of hard work and expense most every day…and night.

I have been dealing with this for years now and have not found anything that gives more than a temporary reprieve. Elector PSP was very expensive and helped for a while, but is not able to get everywhere sufficiently, as you cannot put this in a fogger and it is hard to use in a spray bottle as it clogs easily, and quickly settles after using. It was good in a tank sprayer for the baseboards, etc. Over time I have found it to be a lot cheaper just to use things like Zep pine oil, etc.

I realize that I have to make myself less appetizing to these little buggers and have cut way back on sugary and other high glycemic index foods. I try to eat foods that are spicy with things that contain garlic, onions, chili or jalapenos, etc. I take MSM as it helps with the arthralgia. And I have also tried using Colloidal silver, high dose iodine, Parasite cleanses, pour on Ivermectin, and may other things that did not really help much to keep them from biting and reproducing.

I found that adding Calamine lotion and Iodine to my sulfur and Vaseline cream at night tends to make a difference in how much they will attack me while sleeping. For every 2 tablespoons of castor oil I add 1 tablespoon of Calamine and Iodine mixed with the sulfur and baking soda and then add the Vaseline. And I make it as thick as I need to so that it stays on a while. I put it on my legs, feet, back, around my nose, etc.

Aggressively vacuuming everyday is still at the top of my list for keeping them in check. As well as burning incense. An epsom salt scrub in the shower makes a big difference on my skin. I hope my trial and errors will help others somehow. Thank you. A.

These are some of the bathing strategies our family used while dealing with a bird mite problem in our home. When we first got infected with this, I had a one month old baby. I also had an 8-year-old son. I will give you my best recommendations on treating them. With babies and children you have to be careful not to expose them to chemicals and such while you are simultaneously treating your environment. It is a delicate balance, and a difficult task to juggle. I know this first hand. but it can be done!

I gave my daughter a bath in water with a small handful of epsom salts, and olive oil. I would soap her hair first, and lather the rest of her body as well as I could with New Hope soap. I would either let all of the water out of the tub or I would sit her on a towel on my lap, and give her a toy to chew on. I would have a space heater running in the small bathroom, so by the time she was tired of the toy she was mostly dry. I would then diaper and dress her for bed in sanitized clothes. The soap would remain on her until the next bath. On especially rainy or ‘active’ days, I would add olive oil to her hair. This all dries clear, and cannot be detected after it is dry.

My son was 8 and he never ‘felt’ the mites, but I sure did see him scratching. So I believe that they were crawling on him, but not hosting. Doesn’t matter though, kids have great immune systems, and bounce back very well. I would have my son shower on his own and soap up with the New Hope soap until he was covered in a white lather. When he was done showering, I would have him call me, and I would do a quick check to make sure that he covered all areas. He would then blow-dry the soap on himself with the blow dryer. On an ‘active’ day I would have him cover the soap in olive oil, and add it to his hair.

For my husband  and I, we mix the following to use when showering; 1/4 cup Peroxide, 1/2 cup Borax, 2 cups warm water and Tea tree oil (optional). Shower as usual, then pour mixture from head to toe. Quickly blow dry on skin with a blow dryer. (Please use caution when first trying this method. Do a test patch on your arm to check for signs of irritation. Then start with a weaker mixture, and work your way up. Close your eyes, and mouth when pouring. Do not use this on children!)

For itchy ears and throat, I use peroxide in a spray bottle. While in the shower I spray it in my ear and keep my head leaned to the side for a minute then dump it and then to the other ear. I then spray it in my mouth as far back as I can then put a little water in my mouth, swish and gargle.

For my eyes I vigorously scrub down the eye area (eyes closed) with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint liquid soap. And I also soak my eyes in an eye-cup for about 10 seconds in a relatively weak solution of quarter teaspoon boric acid to one quart water. Make sure you use something like an astringent or Huggies baby wipe to wipe around your eyes, hairline and your temples. My temples were bad but I just kept wiping it every night. I could see little things come out. Then you can rub coconut oil on your eyes and your whole face for that matter. It did not burn my eyes or anything. Keeps them from taking up residence again.

Hope this will be of some help to others. H.

Hi, just wanted to share some products and procedures that have helped me in the daily battle. Vacuuming everyday and disposing of the vacuum bags frequently if not everyday.  I pulled the bed away from wall and put sticky tape above the casters.  I put clothes in suit bags and totes with moth balls. I put bleach and water into spray bottles to spray down bathroom (20% bleach and 80% water). For laundry I mix Borax (1/2 cup) and ammonia (1 cup) with laundry soap for loads of laundry using hottest setting for both washer and dryer. (Don’t mix bleach products with ammonia – toxic!)

For my hair I use coal tar shampoos as it is helpful for scalp and skin. MSM powder (organic sulfur) – I mix 3 teaspoons with ¼ cup water to make a rinse for my hair and scalp – no need to rinse out as it discourages mites from scalp area – also good for the skin. Rub in Tea tree oil on scalp before shampooing or mix with shampoo. I sleep with lightweight shower cap over hair at night to keep most mites out of hair.

For my skin I use a scrub mitt. I bathe with Epsom salts and essential oils (peppermint and eucalyptus). Sitting in a Jacuzzi spa or swimming pool also helps (if you have access to one). Calamine Lotion helps with the itching and crawlies and dries out bites and rashes as well. It contains Bentonite Magma clay. Sulfur 8 or Sublimed sulfur mixed with Vaseline (like Aquaphor) and baby oil and I apply to skin. I found that anti-fungal creams discourage mites from nostril area and private areas. Tea Tree oil mixed with DE and water or oil for skin paste at bedtime. I wear a soft eye mask and ear plugs to keep mites out of eye and ear area.

Also, heating menthol crystals for “aromatherapy”  as mites don’t like it. I use a mug warmer and put some crystals in a little candle cup to heat up…just monitor it because it does eventually evaporate. Peppermint oil is great for baths and I also use it to “rub” onto leather shoes as a mite deterrent (mix with a carrier oil or baby oil). Just before going to sleep I put a heavy application of Chap-Stick or generic type on my lips. Good luck everyone. D.

I wanted to share some tips that are really working well for me. I no longer struggle with the constant crawling and biting. My car and office are now almost totally fine whereas before I wanted to die each time I entered them. I can’t say that I am 100% cured, but I am at least 80% there! My issues started with a very real bird mite infestation. I could see them and they were confirmed by a pest control company.

I moved and took only my cat and myself. We left the visible bugs behind, but were left with symptoms of Morgellons and Lyme. Now, one thing that was very important for me to realize was that not everything that works for one person will work for another….but you must start by working on yourself INTERNALLY. Nothing else you do with your environment will matter if you aren’t treating yourself inside.

A few common things that kept popping up  with others were MSM, Garlic, Vit. C, Salt, and Cats Claw. The Garlic just makes you less yummy to all bugs in general, and the MSM is a source of Sulphur, which these bugs HATE in general. I avoid SUGAR like the plague. Also, Cats Claw. The difference for me after taking it for a few week was AMAZING! It cut back on the biting and itching almost totally! I hope maybe people can find something in here helpful. God Bless! A.

How I got infected I do not know, it could be a native wood pigeon at my window early this year or on one of my outdoor adventures. (I live in New Zealand). It started with a very itchy papule on my arm, from there it spread to my neck and those papules grew fairly big. Finally decided to visit the doctor who prescribed me antibiotics, which did not make an iota difference to my situation. Returned to the doctor where I pointed out that highly likely I was dealing with a mite infestation. Anyway I got a prescription for Stromectol (on my specific request) and Malathion cream, malathion cream seems to knock ‘em back a bit, but they return with a vengeance.

It breaks my heart to see so many people in an enormous amount of struggle over this horrible infestation that has hit us, having to part with things we treasured and worked so hard for, and no recognition from the medical fraternity either. W.

Some of the things that I have found useful that I wanted to share: — I sprinkle baking soda on the furniture, in carpets, on the mattress (below the sheets), on chairs, etc. — I put rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray where I  feel them…immediate relief! — I put Dawn dish soap and water mixture in a spray bottle, and spray the carpet, chairs, etc. (Use plenty of soap). — I use a dehumidifier set to below 40% humidity and this seems to reduce the mite population some.

I microwave clothes, pillows and bed sheets daily! I found this a sure way to kill mites. 20 seconds for sock and underwear (done together), 30 seconds for shirts and 45 seconds for pants. This saves on washing. Just be careful with any non-cotton material, as it may melt. Especially susceptible to melting are elastic strings on sweaters, etc. Be careful with metal zippers. Roll up pants so that zippers are covered. — I shine a bright LED light at night. Mites seem not to like LED light. I let one light shine towards my face all night and have another under my covers. Hope this is useful. J.

After years of this torment, I became depressed and suicidal, as the sense of helplessness turned into hopelessness. It was not a good place to be. The Lord miraculously prevented me from dying and I have just decided to take it one day at a time and to trust Him, because of how futile everything has seemed.

Besides the daily vacuuming and spraying, my biggest help is Para mothballs for bagged items and using MAP gas in a sealed bag for things I need to wear daily; like my shoes, jacket, etc. I can even rotate using bath towels and bed sheets because I keep mothballs in there and even use the MAP gas also. Hope this can help someone as I am praying for us all. T.