Treatment Methods
Poultry red mites are difficult to control as they can be transferred between flocks by shipping crates, clothing and wild birds. Current methods for managing red mites lack sufficient efficacy to keep infestations under control in many poultry farms.1
Chemical control is a common treatment method, which involves spraying the local environment including walls, floors, roosts, nest boxes and birds. However, these treatments have many complications including:
- Short residual activity2
- Inability to reach cracks and crevices where mite colonies are located
- Little or no effect on mite eggs, thus enabling regrowth of infestation burdens
- Risk of feed contamination
- High costs of labor and worker protection equipment
- Egg and meat withdrawal periods following treatment
- Mite resistance development3
Because of the many problems associated with use of conventional chemicals and pesticides for controlling poultry red mites, several new alternative solutions have been proposed or developed in recent years, including essential oils, biological compounds, predator mites, heat treatments, intermittent lighting programs, inert dusts and even vaccines.1