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Bird mites-- the true scoop
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FreakedOutMommy
newbite
Joined: Jul '11
Posts: 12offline
Posted 1 year ago
Wed Jul 13 2011 23:32:12
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OK, so we have bird mites, not bed bugs. There was a starling nest between the chimney and the house, right above our bedroom window. They are now all over the house and we are getting bites. Thought it was bedbugs, but no. I can see the teeny tiny little mites, on the windowsills and baseboards, with zero evidence of bedbugs, so I feel this assessment is correct.
So Terminix is doing the spraying. If the nest is removed and they spray regularly, will this truly take care of it? They "guarantee" it will, and include bird mites in the guarantee. However, I have read some horror stories on the internet about treatments not working. Please reassure me they are alarmist as the PCO says they are.
Do I need to worry about my mattress? What about my clothes? I was told they did not infest people's clothing the way bedbugs do, so after the treatment, it should be OK, and I don't need to launder and bag all my possessions. True? False? Once the nest is gone and the house coated in treatment, we should be OK... right? I am visiting my father. If I bring the baby's pack n' play, will I give him bird mites? What about the suitcase?
Is there anything I should be asking the PCO before spraying to be sure this works?
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oldtimer
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 1,874offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jul 14 2011 2:34:54
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If the nest is removed and they spray regularly, will this truly take care of it?
Yes
Do I need to worry about my mattress?
No
I was told they did not infest people's clothing the way bedbugs do, so after the treatment, it should be OK, and I don't need to launder and bag all my possessions. True?
Yes
Once the nest is gone and the house coated in treatment, we should be OK... right?
Right
I am visiting my father. If I bring the baby's pack n' play, will I give him bird mites?
No -
insecticidal
junior member
Joined: Dec '10
Posts: 94offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jul 14 2011 3:04:50
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I know you asked for a PCO opinion and I'm certainly not. But, if it were me, I would pack & wear only freshly-laundered clothes that have been thoroughly dried on medium-to-high heat, and bagged in the meantime. But I just like to play it safe.
BTW, my clothes dryer has a removable shelf, which enables me to use it like a big, high-speed packtite. I use an IR thermometer to determine how long I need to run it, for a given item. I actually use it to kill any bugs or eggs that might have gotten on/in my shoes and belts. That way, every morning, I know I'm leaving home 100% bug-free. I didn't even care about the shelf when I bought the dryer, but it's practically worth the price of the dryer all by itself!
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oldtimer
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 1,874offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jul 14 2011 3:12:41
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But, if it were me, I would pack & wear only freshly-laundered clothes that have been thoroughly dried on medium-to-high heat, and bagged in the meantime.
No, it's unnecessary in case of a bird mite problem....
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old timer
Joined: May '07
Posts: 978offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jul 14 2011 9:27:26
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Bird mites which in this area are northern fowl mites as EffeCi has stated can usually be resolved by removing the nest and associated material, and sanitizing with steam, vacuuming the adjacent areas and possibly use of a contact pesticide. If you have a linen closet right below the site you might consider laundry or if it involved an AC you might extend the treatment a bit. But basically once you remove the source you are on your way to resolution. Some folks sometimes li8ke to make more of this than it is
and I don't fathom it, with the exception of bird INFESTED structures where they have been nesting in significant numbers for years. Remain calm and carry on. Interesting thing about NFM sometimes they bite sometimes they don't. You might want to consider blocking off the site so birds to not establish a new nest. -
FreakedOutMommy
newbite
Joined: Jul '11
Posts: 12offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jul 14 2011 15:12:01
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I found a local independent PCO who is going to remove all nests in the house (there were more than I thought! they went into the soffit in a gap behind the chimney, and it's starlings, which I understand are the worst for this) and in our detached garage, and remove carpenter ants, for less than Terminix! AWESOME. He is also going to prevent the birds from renesting in the soffit, check the attic, and block the vent off just in case. I am truly pleased to have found someone who will do all this, plus applying pesticides, for less than $500.
The reason I freaked out is because my son, who is almost 2, had horrible bites that looked like giant pus-filled pimples. This is what alerted me to the problem in the first place. My poor little boy! Very uncomfortable.
Do I need to treat my cats? Can cats carry the bird mites out of the house and back in after the treatment?
Also, I was initially scammed by Orkin, who said I had bed bugs and wanted to charge me a fortune for spraying that would have had zero effect. The Terminix guy didn't offer any nest abatement in the price, which was far higher than the independent PCO. The morals of the story are: don't let birds nest in or on your house, and don't trust the big PCO companies, who work on commission and don't have a local reputation to uphold.
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FreakedOutMommy
newbite
Joined: Jul '11
Posts: 12offline
Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jul 14 2011 15:17:51
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And yes, it did involve an AC-- does the AC need special treatment, or is it that the AC blows the mites into the house?
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