When is it safe to go back?

[Guest guest]

In our bedroom?

It's been 2.5 weeks since I first noticed the bird mites (didn't know what they

were at first). 1.5 weeks since the nest was removed. A little over 1 week

since I saw a live mite (I only ever noticed 1 or 2 outside our bedroom and

attic). No bites for 5 days or so (maybe was a mosquito bite, or maybe just

wishful thinking). Nobody in my family's been bitten but me, that I know of.

I'm hoping that we contained the infestation quickly enough, I surely worked

hard once I knew what they were and what to do. I don't know if I'm emotionally

ready to sleep in our bedroom yet, but it would be nice to keep the door open

and let the kids and cats go in there, keep our clothes in there, etc.

If it's too soon, how long should I wait?

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi . Initially you may go some time without experiencing bites and this

alone is no indicator of their absence. And it's not uncommon for only one

member of the household to be parasitized either. This is the insidious nature

of these parasites.

What have you done so far to contain the infestation (other than removing the

nest)? Have you consulted a PCO? Cats are very difficult to treat once infested

so you might consider boarding them at the vet while you have the home treated.

Have them treated simultaneously with Revolution, and don't reintroduce them to

the environment until you're sure the home is clear.

>

> In our bedroom?

>

> It's been 2.5 weeks since I first noticed the bird mites (didn't know what

they were at first). 1.5 weeks since the nest was removed. A little over 1

week since I saw a live mite (I only ever noticed 1 or 2 outside our bedroom and

attic). No bites for 5 days or so (maybe was a mosquito bite, or maybe just

wishful thinking). Nobody in my family's been bitten but me, that I know of.

>

> I'm hoping that we contained the infestation quickly enough, I surely worked

hard once I knew what they were and what to do. I don't know if I'm emotionally

ready to sleep in our bedroom yet, but it would be nice to keep the door open

and let the kids and cats go in there, keep our clothes in there, etc.

>

> If it's too soon, how long should I wait?

>

> Thanks!

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your response.

We called an exterminator right away which is how we found out what they were.

He suggested just have the nest removed (which we did) and clean with a bleach

cleaner and they would die on their own within 1-2 weeks. An entomologist (sp?)

at our state agricultural experiment station said the same thing.

I decided to go a little further though. I cleaned really well (wiped them up

w/ wet paper towels and various cleaners including vinegar and bleach-based),

used some kind of orange natural pest repellent spray, an electronic

pest-repellent thing you plug into an outlet, encased the mattress and pillows

in plastic covers, put lavender sachets in all our drawers, put little bottles

of lavender essential oil all over the bedroom and attic, dusted and vacuumed

really well w/ mothballs in the vacuum bag (and all paper towels and vacuum bags

were walked to and discarded in a trash can some distance from our house),

washed all the bedding and the clothes we needed to wear in hot water (and moved

them into another room), had the curtains dry-cleaned, and began sleeping in

another room. Some things that were hard to clean (like some books, sbaby

monitors) I sealed in a plastic ziploc bag while waiting for them to die off.

We closed the bedroom door so the kids/cats wouldn't go in. After the nest was

removed some stray nesting fell down into the bushes, I removed this along with

some of the mulch and sprayed outside with Raid. The guy who removed the nest

wasn't licensed to spray pesticides but he did spray some Raid in the

gutter/attic area where the nest was.

Also re: the cats - I haven't noticed any mites on them or any undue scratching

etc. I called the vet who called Frontline who said their product wouldn't

help. She said it would help her if she knew what type of bird mites they were

but the PCO didn't know.

I realize this isn't as much as some people have done but I figured it was a

start. And the fact that I haven't seen any live ones for a while is a good

sign, right? When they first appeared they were swarming, you could hardly miss

them.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm glad you decided to take it a step further and do all the work you did (and you have done a lot!) I have found that most of the PCO's do not know how to deal with this problem, and some of the people in the Dept. of Entomology at a number of universities give information that contradicts what we're going thru. I'm so glad that Wigginton is on this site! You are a source of inspiration to us ! Very interesting what you've discovered about the glutathione.

I think you're a huge jump ahead since you started immediately upon finding the nest.

All the best,

Judy

Re: When is it safe to go back?

Thanks for your response. We called an exterminator right away which is how we found out what they were. He suggested just have the nest removed (which we did) and clean with a bleach cleaner and they would die on their own within 1-2 weeks. An entomologist (sp?) at our state agricultural experiment station said the same thing.I decided to go a little further though. I cleaned really well (wiped them up w/ wet paper towels and various cleaners including vinegar and bleach-based), used some kind of orange natural pest repellent spray, an electronic pest-repellent thing you plug into an outlet, encased the mattress and pillows in plastic covers, put lavender sachets in all our drawers, put little bottles of lavender essential oil all over the bedroom and attic, dusted and vacuumed really well w/ mothballs in the vacuum bag (and all paper towels and vacuum bags were walked to and discarded in a trash can some distance from our house), washed all the bedding and the clothes we needed to wear in hot water (and moved them into another room), had the curtains dry-cleaned, and began sleeping in another room. Some things that were hard to clean (like some books, sbaby monitors) I sealed in a plastic ziploc bag while waiting for them to die off. We closed the bedroom door so the kids/cats wouldn't go in. After the nest was removed some stray nesting fell down into the bushes, I removed this along with some of the mulch and sprayed outside with Raid. The guy who removed the nest wasn't licensed to spray pesticides but he did spray some Raid in the gutter/attic area where the nest was.Also re: the cats - I haven't noticed any mites on them or any undue scratching etc. I called the vet who called Frontline who said their product wouldn't help. She said it would help her if she knew what type of bird mites they were but the PCO didn't know.I realize this isn't as much as some people have done but I figured it was a start. And the fact that I haven't seen any live ones for a while is a good sign, right? When they first appeared they were swarming, you could hardly miss them.

[Guest guest]

Having lived with this torment for the past 8 months I would like to save you

the same fate. I am concerned on two fronts: firstly, my understanding is that

these things don't simply " die off " but are capable of living several months

without a blood meal, and secondly, they are highly mobile and may very well

have migrated beyond the bedroom area (both inside and on the home's exterior).

This may seem like overkill, but you might consider having the entire home

treated by a knowledgable PCO. Alternatively, you can order the needed supplies

yourself from sites like domyownpestcontrol.com

>

> Thanks for your response.

>

> We called an exterminator right away which is how we found out what they were.

He suggested just have the nest removed (which we did) and clean with a bleach

cleaner and they would die on their own within 1-2 weeks. An entomologist (sp?)

at our state agricultural experiment station said the same thing.

>

> I decided to go a little further though. I cleaned really well (wiped them up

w/ wet paper towels and various cleaners including vinegar and bleach-based),

used some kind of orange natural pest repellent spray, an electronic

pest-repellent thing you plug into an outlet, encased the mattress and pillows

in plastic covers, put lavender sachets in all our drawers, put little bottles

of lavender essential oil all over the bedroom and attic, dusted and vacuumed

really well w/ mothballs in the vacuum bag (and all paper towels and vacuum bags

were walked to and discarded in a trash can some distance from our house),

washed all the bedding and the clothes we needed to wear in hot water (and moved

them into another room), had the curtains dry-cleaned, and began sleeping in

another room. Some things that were hard to clean (like some books, sbaby

monitors) I sealed in a plastic ziploc bag while waiting for them to die off.

We closed the bedroom door so the kids/cats wouldn't go in. After the nest was

removed some stray nesting fell down into the bushes, I removed this along with

some of the mulch and sprayed outside with Raid. The guy who removed the nest

wasn't licensed to spray pesticides but he did spray some Raid in the

gutter/attic area where the nest was.

>

> Also re: the cats - I haven't noticed any mites on them or any undue

scratching etc. I called the vet who called Frontline who said their product

wouldn't help. She said it would help her if she knew what type of bird mites

they were but the PCO didn't know.

>

> I realize this isn't as much as some people have done but I figured it was a

start. And the fact that I haven't seen any live ones for a while is a good

sign, right? When they first appeared they were swarming, you could hardly miss

them.

>

[Guest guest]

I appreciate the concern and I hope that your infestation is over soon. I did

read online somewhere that different kinds of bird mites can live different

lengths of time, some just a few weeks and others several months w/o a blood

meal. And different types of mites infest different types of birds I think? I

could probably find the link to where I read this. The PCO took a sample to the

agricultural experiment station to confirm that they were bird mites, I wish I

had known at the time to ask what type they are. Since I haven't seen a live

one in a while (thank God!!!) I don't know if the experiment station could still

identify them for me. I'm sure I could find a few of their stupid little

carcasses around in the attic where I haven't fully cleaned yet.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Judy. It is confusing to me why the info sheets from universities and

the response from entomologists is so different from the experience of many of

you here. I do hope I've lucked out though and that they are really gone!

[Guest guest]

You are most welcome. If you have any way of checking with the ag station your

PCO took the sample to they probably still have it on file. If you happen to

speak to them, please inquire on how long they think mite eggs remain viable,

then kindly post the info here. There is so much disparity on the subject all

input is appreciated.

>

> I appreciate the concern and I hope that your infestation is over soon. I did

read online somewhere that different kinds of bird mites can live different

lengths of time, some just a few weeks and others several months w/o a blood

meal. And different types of mites infest different types of birds I think? I

could probably find the link to where I read this. The PCO took a sample to the

agricultural experiment station to confirm that they were bird mites, I wish I

had known at the time to ask what type they are. Since I haven't seen a live

one in a while (thank God!!!) I don't know if the experiment station could still

identify them for me. I'm sure I could find a few of their stupid little

carcasses around in the attic where I haven't fully cleaned yet.

>